Linchpin
by Samitballi
Summary: When Anya Barton and Ryland Stark joined S.H.I.E.L.D.'s junior agent program they never imagined their first mission would involving a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D., an agent off the grid, dead bodies, a linchpin, and the possibility of a third World War. All the while they are faced with something much scarier and harder to solve: their feelings for each other. Sequel to Mini-Vengers!
1. Chapter 1

This story is a sequel to Mini-Vengers. I recommend you read that first if you haven't already. It's not entirely necessary, but you'll understand and get more out of this story if you read that one first :)

Enjoy!

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There's an abandoned warehouse in Queens, New York, with more broken out windows than whole ones and the front door falls off its hinges whenever you open it. It's overrun by rats and crabgrass and on any given day there's three homeless men squatting there that'll riddle you with tall tales of government conspiracies and secret government agencies. Those gullible conspiracy theorists don't know they're actually huddled over a secret government agency. It's all hush-hush and need-to-know, but those with the clearance know that beneath that dilapidated building is one of the largest training facilities on the eastern seaboard- and maybe even the world. It's a S.H.I.E.L.D. training facility, home to _The Next Generation_, a group of trainees of varying ages and backgrounds with one sole purpose: Train. Learn S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ways and become the best agent possible. It's only for the elite and the special. That's how three special kids got there.

To the outside world they are just celebrity kids, daughters and sons of Earth's mightiest heroes. To those closest to them and those within S.H.I.E.L.D. those three kids are known by a different stereotype. They each have a manila folder a few inches deep- some with glorious performance reports and others with less than satisfactory public conduct. But they are _The Next Generation_'s finest; hell the entire program was created specifically for them. It was Director Fury's idea to prepare for a generation younger than his current crew of superheroes. He'd later look back on that decision and pat himself on the back. Because even though those three damned kids put up more trouble than their worth, they worked just as hard. And they got the job done. No matter what.

XXX

JARVIS is programmed in every room within Avengers tower, from every kitchen to every bedroom and even the bathrooms. The AI can perform numerous tasks simultaneously from security to flipping the channels on the television; but most mornings he acts as an alarm clock. Anya Barton preferred the gentle British voice to the screech of a store bought alarm clock. But even the sweet, "Good morning, Miss Barton." of JARVIS's wake-up call couldn't put a smile on Anya's face at five-thirty in the morning. That is probably why she rolled over in bed with a grunt, throwing a violet colored pillow over her head.

"New York is particularly hot this morning with a low of eighty-nine. Though this heatwave has not broken, the B train has; but your car is fueled and ready for you, Miss Barton. Shall I open the gym for you, Miss?" JARVIS informed her; all the while she rolled about the bed trying to wake herself up.

"Yes, please. Thank you, JARVIS." Giving in, Anya sat up and threw her crimson and violet flower printed comforter off her legs. Rubbing the back of her hand against her eyes, Anya cracked her neck and then her back with a satisfied smile before actually getting out of bed. She dragged her feet all the way to her bathroom where she flicked on the light and cringed at her own reflection.

"JARVIS," she said to the AI, her voice still rough from sleep. "Remind me not to sleep with my hair down anymore." She mumbled sarcastically as she examined the mess of curls that make for her hair. Ever since she was a little girl Anya's curls were unruly but she's since gotten the hang of taming them. It took a little extra time in the morning and some maintenance throughout the day but she learned to straighten the mess of curls into a more formal and tamed version.

But she didn't bother with her hair in the morning, just twisted the strawberry blond curls back into a French braid in order to get it out of her face and off the back of her neck. Mornings were the only time Anya didn't look like a million bucks, mainly because the only people who saw her in the morning were family members and they couldn't care less how she dressed. So Anya made her way out of her bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen where a fresh cup of coffee was waiting for her.

"Ahh, thank you, JARVIS." She said sweetly as she grabbed the cup to warm her hands before taking a sip. The warm liquid flowed down the back of her throat, literally warming her from the inside out. Some might say she's addicted to the beverage but what did it matter either way? So long as she had one cup a day she'd be fine.

"Good morning, Little Bird." Clint mumbled as he turned the corner into the kitchen. Anya looked up at her dad and smiled warmly at his tired face and messy hair. She grabbed a mug and poured him a cup of coffee as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder. "Headed to the gym?" he asked, not bothering to move his head from its spot perched on her shoulder like a bird.

"Yep, wanna come spar with me?" Anya replied with a wicked gleam in her big blue eyes. Clint cringed immediately as he took the mug she offered him. "Oh c'mon, it'll be fun. I might actually let you beat me this time." Anya teased as she hoped up onto the kitchen counter in front of him.

"It's not a game if you let me win." Clint retorted. "And besides, you didn't beat me last time you cheated."

"You can keep singing the same old song if you want, Dad, but facts are facts and the fact is I beat you fair and square. You're just a sore loser." Anya said softly, her voice carrying an air of innocence her words did not. Clint just grunted in response, shooting a sour look her way as he made his way to the fridge in search of breakfast. Looking at him then you'd never guess he was an Avenger or an ex-spy. In that moment he was just a shirtless dude in sweatpants riffling through the refrigerator for food he wouldn't find.

Anya smiled at him before hopping off the counter. "There's milk for cereal but at this hour you're not gonna find much else." She said to Clint before kissing his cheek and sauntering back to her bedroom with her coffee cup still in hand. She set the owl shaped mug on her desk and opened her laptop, letting the computer boot up while she went to her closet for a pair of sneakers. Anya had a small obsession with shoes and possessed more than any sane human being should, but her obsession didn't stop with heels or boots. No, she also had a bin overflowing with sneakers in her closet that she all but had to dump in order to find her Adidas workout sneakers.

By the time she found her shoes her computer was running so she brought the sneakers to her desk where she opened her email account while simultaneously trying on her sneakers. She took a minute to throw out the junk mail and filter out the spam before checking her secure S.H.I.E.L.D. email address. Figures it'd be empty but it reassured her to at least check it. After logging back out, Anya closed the laptop and headed back out of her bedroom.

"Have an apple, Clint, it's good for you." Natasha's voice carried from the kitchen over to Anya as she stood by the front door of their apartment.

"Good for me is the last thing I want." Clint replied sarcastically and Anya smiled. "I want sugary shit that's gonna rot my teeth and give me a fat belly. Would you still love me if I had a belly out to here?"

Anya could just picture her father holding his hands out in a circle around his midsection. She had to laugh at the mental image especially considering her parents were in better physical shape than even she was. It sometimes frustrated her that at eighteen she was still not as fit as either her parents.

"I would love you even if you were a five-hundred pound bald man with a hairy back; so long as you remain mine." Natasha replied sweetly. Anya could hear the two kissing and rolled her eyes. Sometimes they were teenage lovebirds so grossly smitten with each other it made her want to vomit.

Anya traveled a few levels alone in the elevator before arriving at the gym. Well, it wasn't just a gym. It had every work out machine on earth as well as a sauna, locker rooms, an indoor pool and a giant padded room perfect for sparring, training and boxing. It was a little excessive- as is everything associated with Tony Stark- but it damn sure came in handy.

"Well aren't we looking rather alert this morning?" Ryland Stark mumbled as he appeared behind her. Anya swiveled and smacked right into his sweaty chest. Of course he was already awake and training. Kid was like a machine, a very tall and lean muscular machine. "You're usually so dull eyed in the morning, what gives?" Ryland asked as he made sure she wouldn't fall over then moved past her. He was just wearing a tee shirt and sweatpants but he was already a sweaty mess and his dark brown hair was sticking up in every direction possible but he didn't care if Anya saw him that way.

"JARVIS woke me up and I got a good cup of coffee. Not to mention I slept really well last night." Anya replied as she followed him to a bench where he sat down and she started to stretch. "Care for a match?" she asked challengingly, eying the sparing materials across from them.

Ryland unleashed a shit-eating grin and said, "I thought you'd never ask." before grabbing her hand and literally pulling her to the sparring room. Anya chuckled but got real serious once their match started and soon enough their fighting went from innocent training to full on _trying_ to hurt each other. From an onlookers point of view it probably looked like Anya and Ryland hated each other but leaving each other bruised was the equivalent of a hug between Anya and Ryland. However, an hour later they both seriously needed a break.

"We'll call this match a tie." Ryland suggested as he leaned over and braced his hands against his knees, sucking in air desperately as sweat dripped from every inch of his body. "But next time I'm not going easy on you."

"Oh shut it, Stark, I could take you down with one arm tied behind my back. I just don't want to hurt your precious pride." Anya retorted mockingly as she sprawled across the floor also panting pretty hard. Ryland mock laughed as he threw a towel and a water bottle at her and fell to the floor beside her.

"One of these days we're actually going to kill each other fighting like this." Ryland noted as he placed a towel over his face and left it there. He honestly couldn't feel his legs and his arms were shaking pretty bad but it was a good feeling. The soreness of a good hard fight was a feeling Ryland loved; not just because he'd met someone he could go toe-to-toe with, but because that feeling was a symbol of his best efforts. He fought long and hard and the quaky muscles throughout his body were not only a direct repercussion of that, but a celebration of it.

"Not a bad way to die." Anya retorted as she drank the entire water bottle in one sitting. She was also drenched in sweat and her hair was falling out of its braid but she didn't really mind that Ryland saw her so. They grew up together- they've seen each other that their best and their worst- neither really cared how they appeared when they were together. But that didn't stop Anya from quickly pulling off the sticky shirt and trying to make herself seem less grotesque.

"I'm gonna shower and change. Wanna grab a bite to eat?" Anya said as she balled up the sweaty black tee shirt and threw it in the hamper by the door. Ryland reached out a hand to her and so she helped him stand up where he followed suit and threw his tee shirt in the hamper along with hers.

"Meet me in the garage in twenty." he told her as they rode the elevator down to their floors. Ryland got off first with a wave as the doors closed on Anya. Each floor had been remodeled a few times to accommodate growing families and different needs but the Stark's floor hadn't really changed much.

"The prodigal son has returned from battle!" Tony shouted in a terrible mocking of Thor. Ryland laughed even as he gave his father a weird look. "How doth the fighting goeth?"

"You can stop that any time you want." Ryland replied sarcastically as he walked up the metal staircase to his bedroom. "Sparing with Ace went well. We tied after an hour though we'll rematch tomorrow probably."

"Remember, Son, don't let a woman best you in combat or else I'll be forced to disown you." Tony told him jokingly, the fake accent slipping until he finally gave in entirely and said, "You staying here for breakfast or heading out?" in his normal voice.

"I'm meeting Ace for breakfast in twenty minutes but I gotta shower firsts." Ryland yelled through his bedroom wall as Tony stood halfway up the stairs, fidgeting with a picture frame on the wall. "Why don't you swing by campus and take me to lunch, huh?"

"I'll be there," Tony swore. Ryland smiled as he stripped from the rest of his clothes and stepped into his shower. He made quick work of cleaning up but the entire bathroom got foggy nevertheless so when he stepped back out of the shower he could barely see to grab a towel off the rack beside the shower. He managed to find one and wrap it around his waist before cracking the door to let some cool air in.

Ryland's hair was naturally dark brown and straight and it had the tendency to stick up in at least six different directions at all times. For special occasions he'd comb it flat but usually he just ran a brush through it and let it lay however it pleased. It usually didn't wind up looking that bad anyways. So that's exactly what he did before exiting the bathroom and heading to his closet.

Ryland's fashion sense as a child was something to be envious of but as he grew up he also grew out of his constant need to look stylish. Nowadays it was all jeans and tee shirts but every now and then he'd dress himself up to the nines and shock everyone around him. But today wasn't one of those days so he grabbed a pair of dark wash fitted jeans and a gray V-neck tee shirt and threw them on. Something Ryland hadn't grown out of was his love for Converse high-top sneakers so he fished a red pair out of his closet and pulled them on as well.

His vision also hadn't gotten any clearer but it didn't bother him much. So long as he could wear contacts during training he was fine wearing his black large framed glasses every day. Aside from growing in thickness and in size, Ryland's glasses hadn't changed in style at all. So he switched his contacts for his glasses, grabbed his green army rucksack backpack off his desk, and headed back downstairs and to the elevator.

Anya was never very punctual so it was no surprise at all that she wasn't waiting downstairs in the garage like they'd agreed but Ryland didn't sweat it. He just unlocked his Camaro and climbed inside, cranking up the air conditioning so it would be nice and cool by the time Anya was ready to go. It took her an extra ten minutes but eventually she came downstairs in red jean shorts, a denim button down tied at the bottom and crochet lace TOMS.

"You're late," Ryland noted with a chuckle as she entered his car. Ryland didn't miss that she was wearing his gold watch around her left wrist.

"Where do you wanna eat?" Anya asked as she leaned back in the seat beside him. Ryland was a great driver- even if he had a tendency to speed- and she completely trusted him. She did so desperately wish to drive his black Camaro for him but since that wouldn't happen in this lifetime she just sat back and appreciated the inside view of the beautiful car.

"Lee's Dinner is open already if you wanna steer clear of the paparazzi." Ryland replied as he drove through the busy New York streets.

"Yes please," was Anya's only reply. She didn't mind the paparazzi when they kept their distance but they seemed to always interrupt her whilst eating and that pissed her off nine times out of ten. She'd rather not take the chance. "What time is your first class?" she asked conversationally. Ryland's schedule changed almost every day, dropping classes and picking them up all the time. When your I.Q. is all but off the charts it wasn't hard to skip a class or drop out in the middle only to take a test and make up the credits in twenty minutes.

Ryland was almost six before he finally started school but when he did start at an all boys private school he skipped straight to third grade. He quickly flew to the top of his class and from there went on to The Bronx High School of Science. Graduating at seventeen, Ryland had the top pick of almost any college in the world but he decided NYU would be best suited to his needs. And it was close to home.

"I don't have a class until nine." Ryland told her as he effortlessly navigated the crowded New York streets. "What are you up to today?"

Anya hadn't had nearly the same success at school. She struggled a lot, not with the materials but rather the authorities. By the time she hit eleventh grade Anya had been kicked out of almost eight schools and banned from an all girls Catholic school. She had a little too much of her parents' genes to idly sit by and let other people boss her around. She skipped more days than she attended but her grades never slipped below the nineties. She graduated the summer before her eighteenth birthday and even though that was last year she hadn't really done anything to further her education. All the years she spent around Bruce Banner, Tony Stark and his crazy genius son taught Anya more than any school ever could. Not to mention her parents and the rest of the Avengers were better teachers than nuns and professors. Anya figured she knew all she needed and the rest would come to her when the time came.

"Mickey promised to take me out today but I doubt that'll happen." Anya replied, only allowing a slight bitter tinge to her voice because she trusted Ryland not to say anything. It wasn't that Anya was jealous of the five kids that came after her or how quickly she went from the youngest to the second oldest. She just didn't appreciate everyone's constantly divided attention.

"The twins are at school, nothing's stopping Mickey from showering you with attention. Don't be a Bitter Betty." Ryland retorted with an infectious grin. He understood Anya's feelings better than anyone. He'd been the favorite before she came around and quickly after Anya was born more and more kids kept coming and pushing Ryland into the background. There was never a single doubt in his mind that his parents and the entire team loved him, but going from the center of attention to the oldest of six was hard.

Anya dismissed his comment and changed the subject just as they pulled up in front of the restaurant. Luckily there were no paparazzi around the restaurant so they grabbed a table by the window, both fighting over who got the wall seat. When they finally sat down they ordered coffee and breakfast, enjoying casual conversation without worrying about someone snapping a picture and plastering it all over the newspapers. Halfway through their meal Ryland's phone started ringing and he smiled as he answered.

"Get me home, Ryland, I am begging you!" Dahlia's voice came through the receiver before Ryland even greeted her. He chuckled and put it on speakerphone so Anya could hear.

"How's Asgard treating you, Lia?" Anya giggled upon hearing Dahlia's loud and exasperated sigh.

"I just want to go home where there's WiFi and people use contractions. Seriously, this place is pretty and all but I really need someone to call me 'dude' instead of bowing in my presence."

"Awe, it can't be that bad. You're royalty up there and I'm sure they treat you better than the paparazzi treat Ace and I down here." said Ryland.

"No, it's not that bad. I'm just crotchety and homesick. How is everyone? Don't you have class soon? Of course I wouldn't know because _there are no clocks here_." Dahlia complained, her voice taking on a whiny tone very familiar to everyone close to her. There was a sound in the background and Dahlia whispered to someone but quickly returned to the phone call.

"I don't have class for a little while longer. What was that?" Ryland replied as he finished the last of his coffee.

"Oh just Kellen being his usual annoying self." Dahlia said sarcastically followed by the distinct sound of a pillow being thrown- most likely at her little brother's head. Even though Dahlia and Kellen were a year apart they fought like twins and acted like their age gap was seventeen years. "If I could kill him and get away with it I wouldn't even bat an eyelash."

"You're bluffing and we all know it." Anya pipped in with a smile, leaning across the table. "But if you need help hiding the body I'm willing and able."

"Hey!" Kellen cut in after a small scuffle and laughter. As often as Dahlia and Kellen fought, their laughter was more often and even more infectious. Anya couldn't help but giggle a little as she listened to Kellen and Dahlia laugh and fight at the same time.

"Get home safe and soon." Ryland told them when they were near the end of their conversation.

"Give everyone hugs for us." Dahlia replied before a quick goodbye. Kellen yelled his own goodbye as did Anya before the phone call disconnected. Even though Asgard was still largely unknown to the population, it was a second home to Dahlia and Kellen. They grew up on both earth and Asgard, traveling between the two like kids often travel to their grandparent's home. However instead of a car or a plane, they used the rebuilt bifrost. Tony and Ryland created a means of communication between the two worlds when Ryland was in sixth grade- a mode of communication still wildly in use.

"One of these days I'm gonna stow away in Lia's suitcase and finally see what she's talking about." Anya mumbled as she tossed back the last of her muffin and swallowed the last drops of coffee. She waved over the waitress for the check which she and Ryland split evenly.

"As much as I'd love to finally see Asgard I think the jet lag would kill me." Ryland joked. When they were finished their meal they exited just in time for a few paparazzi to show up late to the party. They hurried into the shelter of Ryland's car long before any photos were snapped. "Where to, miss?" Ryland asked grandly as he started the car and threw it in gear.

"Drop me somewhere between a Forever 21 and a subway station and I'll find my way."

Ryland chuckled and pulled out onto the busy streets. "You'll never change will ya, Ace?"

"Why would I change something that's already perfect?"

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Author's Note: So how you liking the sequel so far? It'll take a few chapters to get acquainted to these characters- as adults- then the action will start! Be sure to check out my Polyvore as well (samitballi. polyvore. com) for sets from each chapter :)

*Dahlia's name is pronounced Da-lee-ah so whenever someone refers to her as Lia it's pronounced Leah (lee-ah)*

Drop me a line and let me know what you think! ~ Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Eeep I'm so excited how well received the first chapter was! I'm still apprehensive especially cause we haven't gotten to the action yet so I just hope you like where I take the story :)

**Review Reviews:**

**PolkaDotMilly: **Thanks so much! Anya's always had such a big personality I really aimed to do your hopes justice :)

**Emrys90: **Yay! I was surprised how quickly writing them as adults became second nature, I thought it'd take me longer to get used to it. Thanks :)

**S0U1 3AT3r16: **Thank you :)

**ThatsWhatReallyHappened: **Thanks! You'll get to see a bit of the family in this chapter. I hope you like it :)

**Sora o: **Ahh I love you for saying you love me! Yes, Clint and Natasha had another daughter Irina. The start of the first chapter was set around 5:30 am so Irina was still asleep lol she's in this chapter though :)

**GhostGlowLight: **Thanksss :)

**KirstenGall1998: **Thanks so much! Can I ask what about her it is you relate to?

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Thank you :)

**maggie: **Thanks! If you read the epilogue to Mini-Vengers I touched on what the Avengers were up to between that story and this one. Just check that out and you'll get your answers :)

**kimbee: **Hahaha! Thank you for noticing JARVIS's sass! I really liked that line but I wasn't sure anyone else would find it as charming as I did :p Aceland has a different dynamic as adults that I think lends itself to a possible relationship much better than their dynamic as kids. I hope the progression throughout this story will convert you to an Aceland shipper ;)

**Morgan: **That's why I wrote the first few chapters with no drama or adventure- so you'd get a small chance to adjust to these guys being adults. Thanks!

**Mercede216: **Thanks! They aren't quite together yet but they certainly are something ;)

**verreauxii: **Thank you :)

**ILoveIceCream: **Thanks! I've got it planned out as an adventure/spy type story with much more action than Mini-Vengers, but I'll be touching on certain other topics as well: especially Anya and Ryland's struggle not liking each other, public scrutiny of the whole family, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s opinion of the kids, and much more :)

**Jenna: **Thanks! I'm trying to make the transition from 1 and 4 years old to 17 and 20 as smooth as possible lol it's not very easy and I'm sure they'll be some bumps along the way, but I'm glad you like it so far :)

We still haven't hit the adventurer part of the story yet- that comes in the next chapter. So here's another "filler" chapter for you to get used to these guys as adults. And as just a reminder, Ryland is roughly 20 years old, Anya is 18, Dahlia is 17, Irina is 16, Kellen is 15, and the twins, Charlotte and Florence, are 11.

Enjoy!

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Irina's socks slid along the hardwood floor of her bedroom and she skidded to a stop in front of the door. She barely had the door open before she was yelling for Anya's attention. It took all of three seconds for Anya's bedroom door to open down the hall and her curly head to pop out. "What do you want?" Anya grumbled, leaning her chin against the door frame.

"Watcha doin'?" Irina replied in a singsong. That's all it took for Anya to become suspicious of her little sister and place both hands on her hips. Coincidentally that's also all it took for Irina to drop the sweet act and ask Anya for help with her hair. "This humidity is killing it." Irina grumbled, pulling on the ends. Anya chuckled and walked down the hall to Irina's bedroom where she pushed her little sister onto her vanity seat and grabbed a comb.

"You'll get the hang of this soon enough." Anya promised as she went to work fixing Irina's hair. Though Irina's hair was much more tame than Anya's, they both had issues keeping the curls under control especially during a New York heatwave. Anya explained once again the secret to perfect curls but Irina only half listened. She didn't feel the need to know how to tame her hair so long as she always had Anya there to do it for her. "There," Anya finally said some time later. She'd fixed Irina's chin length hair into a perfect bob of red spiral curls that bounced when she gentle pulled on the ends.

"Ugh, you're a miracle worker. Thanks, Ace." Irina replied, standing to give Anya a hug. The girls could pass for twins from the neck up but below that their bodies were individual to themselves. Anya had incredibly long legs that would almost seem oddly disproportionate if she didn't keep in tip-top shape. However Irina's torso was much longer than her sister's, the space between her breasts and her pelvis seeming impossibly long. Most people saw pas the obvious difference and passed the two off as twins but Anya and Irina saw even the most minuscule differences in themselves. For instance, both girls were curvy but Irina's breasts were just one cup size bigger than Anya's. However Anya's butt was rounder than Irina's and she was two and a half inches taller. They were also the only ones to notice Irina's hands were smaller or Anya's lips were fuller. And even though their freckles changed every day, Irina always had more on her face than her body whereas Anya always had more on her body than her face. When Irina's cheeks would be covered in freckles during the summer, Anya's arms and back would almost look tan with the amount of freckles dusting her skin. Irina had teal colored eyes with more green than Anya's liquid blue eyes. But their hair was equally curly- though Anya's was blonder and she kept it long.

But the one thing that would always stay the same was their smiles. It didn't matter that Anya's lips were fuller than her sister's, or that Irina had a small gap between two of her bottom teeth; somehow their smiles were identically toothy and slightly crooked. They both also grew into a sort of manic kind of laugh and Irina even snorted when she laughed too hard. Nothing could beat those two girls when they got giggling.

"You think we could spend the day together, Ace?" Irina asked almost sheepishly. Anya smiled as she picked out a few rings from her sister's jewelry box.

"Sure, but only after you're home from school." Anya replied, causing Irina to groan in frustration. "I'm not getting into trouble by keeping you home from school. I've already been there and done that. But I'll pick you up afterward and we'll hit some shops, mkay?

Irina agreed before asking Anya's help picking out an outfit for school. Originally Irina started out at a private all-girls school but she faced the same problems Anya did and they pulled her out before the school could expel her. So instead she went to a private high school in Manhattan with Dahlia and Kellen. And though on most days the lack of a dress code was amazing, during a heatwave, not so much. Finding something cool enough to wear while also sticking to hemline guidelines wasn't easy. But Anya found a floral print sundress in Irina's closet that was long enough not to get her slapped on the wrist by the headmaster but cool enough to keep her reasonably comfortable all day. Throwing on a pair of brown gladiator style sandals and grabbing her backpack off her bed, Irina gave Anya a kiss on the cheek before leaving the tower.

It was the last week of school for Irina but since Dahlia and Kellen finished early to go to Asgard she was left to attend school alone- something she wasn't happy about. She only had a few more days left but she was dragging her feet like never before and Anya could relate all too well. As much as Anya loved learning she hated school environments. Snotty students, crotchety professors and cool brick walls that held pictures of students favored over her. Anya was glad to be rid of it all as soon as she graduated. But just because she wasn't attending high school any more didn't mean she could mope around the tower all day. She had classes of a different type.

So Anya headed back to her room to finish getting dressed- what she was interrupted from when Irina called upon her. She changed from pajamas into a pair of dark wash high waisted denim shorts and a peach colored loose fitted tank top. She fixed her hair into curls, letting them fall across her shoulders to the middle of her back in a sheet of strawberry blond spirals. When she was dressed, she grabbed her floral canvas and leather backpack and headed to the communal kitchen.

"Headed to the warehouse?" Mickey asked upon Anya's entrance. Mickey was fixing lunches for the twins to take to their last day of school so Anya sneaked a few grapes from Florence's lunch box.

"Yeah I've got a Russian Literature test to take and a tactical analysis essay due today." Anya replied as she fished a breakfast bar from the cabinet and poured herself a cup of coffee. It didn't matter that the temperature outside hadn't dropped below the nineties all week, Anya still needed her coffee. Just as she took her first sip Charlotte and Florence bounded into the room arguing. It seemed like Anya and Irina were the only siblings in the tower that didn't argue like crazy.

"Mom, Charlotte stole my necklace." Florence complained. She was wearing a dark floral skirt and a pink off the shoulder shirt with a girl drawn on the front and black sparkly TOMS. Charlotte was wearing a pink skirt and a white shirt with an owl on the front and pink sparkly TOMS. Even though the girls fought like crazy, they always dressed alike. Couple that with the fact that they were identical twins, it was sometimes hard to tell the two apart.

They both had Mickey's dark brown hair and Steve's big blue eyes. Charlotte had a small birth mark on the left side of her jaw, right on her jawline that was sometimes the only way to tell the two apart. They were the exact same height and build with the same small features and big smiles. Florence had a bit more sass though.

"Actually that's my necklace." Anya replied, reaching her hand out towards Charlotte who heaved a sigh and handed over the black necklace.

"There, problem solved now stop fighting." Mickey said with an exasperated chuckle. Sometimes Anya wondered how she managed to keep her cool all the time when the girls were constantly fighting. Jane was the same way- completely calm when faced with Dahlia and Kellen's constant bickering. "Hurry on your way now, you're going to be late. Have a nice day, be responsible! Love you," Mickey called after the girls, handing them their lunches, giving them each a kiss on top of their heads and ushering them downstairs with Anya on their heels. The girls bickered the whole elevator ride down to the lobby where Anya all but ran away from them laughing.

God love them, they sometimes got on Anya's last nerve. But she retained a smile as she headed onto the street, a blast of heat hitting her like a brick wall. She scrunched up her nose as a sheen of sweat already coated her skin. Waiting by the curb was a black car with tinted windows and a S.H.I.E.L.D. flag on the antenna. Taking a cab to the warehouse wasn't possible because dropping Anya Barton off at a sketchy looking abandoned warehouse would throw up too many red flags. So the tower had a car service on call to take Anya to the warehouse and drop her off two blocks over at a _Super 8_ motel where she could walk the rest of the way to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s underground headquarters.

By the time she got to the big metal doors she was all but drenched in sweat. What was originally a peach colored tank top was more red in certain areas as she pulled one of the double doors open. It immediately fell off it's hinges and she grumbled a few curses under her breath as she propped it up against the wall beside where it should've been. Inside the warehouse was just as hot and disgusting as the outside but in the back corner there was a dirty blue tarp hanging from the ceiling. Behind it was another metal door except this one lead to an elevator that actually worked.

Stepping inside, Anya placed her hand against a fingerprint scanner and within a few seconds the doors closed and the elevator started a long descend down so many levels Anya was certain the S.H.I.E.L.D. Next Generation headquarters was located in the center of the earth. At least the elevator was air conditioned.

XXX

Ryland's favorite school subject would have to be science but he thoroughly enjoyed the literature class he took on his own regard. It wasn't a mandatory class for any student outside of Lit majors and the students that attended were 90% female. But when Ryland sat in on the class one afternoon he fell in love. So did a few other people.

He heard the girls whispering, felt their eyes on him. The first few times he attended the class he went unnoticed. Then he started participating, speaking up and answering questions. A good percent of the girls in his class gave him their numbers that first week. Apparently they found his mind just as pretty as his face because they really started chasing him after he read a passage from Shakespeare aloud for the class one day. Ryland wasn't much of a ladies man but he'd be an idiot not to at least appreciate the girls' attention. And the girls would be idiots not to find him attractive.

Ryland was six feet and two inches of lean muscle and tan skin. Every girl that passed him had the overwhelming urge to run their fingers through his messy brown hair and if they were lucky enough to look into his chocolate brown eyes it's a good bet they'd never want to look away again. He had large hands, the kind of hands that could leave hand prints on your skin just as easily as they could brush tears from your cheeks. They were almost always banged up from his research but they were surprisingly soft. Every girl in class, at one time or another, fantasized about his strong arms wrapping around them or his deep voice whispering sweet nothings to them. And even though Ryland knew he was at least reasonably handsome, he didn't understand their infatuation.

When Ryland looked in the mirror he saw a reasonable looking kid with a slightly upturned nose, soft freckles and long eyelashes. He saw a shoulder-to-waist ratio of a swimmer and the muscle definition of a fighter. But he also saw the way his smile lifted only in one corner and how his lips were paper thin. He saw gross nails- because he still bit them no matter how hard he tried to stop- and he saw pencil thin legs.

Sometimes Ryland wondered why all the girls liked him. If it was because of his mind, his money or maybe his body. Either way, he got more numbers every day he attended that literature class and today was no exception. He left with the number of a small brunette named Kaylee with a sweet smile and innocent disposition. For once he considered actually calling her but he just slipped the number into his backpack instead of entering it into his phone.

Ryland didn't want a relationship- not at twenty years old. He never saw the point in "hooking up" or just hanging out with someone. If he was going to date, it was going to be a serious relationship. But at the same time he wanted commitment he didn't. He didn't want to get tied down so early on in life. So, as conflicted as he was, he just stayed away from girls as much as possible. Well, girls that weren't living in the tower with him.

"Hey, Ryland, help me with this would ya?" Natasha requested almost as soon as Ryland entered the communal living room a little before dinner. Natasha was trying to hang a painting behind the giant U shaped couch but she couldn't get it straight, so Ryland tossed aside his backpack and switched places with her so he could lift it higher and straighten it.

"Where did you get this one?"Ryland asked as she told him to tilt it to the left a little. When they had it straight they both took a step back to admire it. It was a sketch of a summer New York skyline, the only color being the red of sun pooling around the skyscrapers.

"You don't recognize the signature?"

Ryland stepped closer, examining the blue signature at the bottom. He smiled as he recognized the name. "Wow, Steve is damn good." he mumbled as he looked over the picture again with a hint of pride that he knew the artist.

"If he weren't so busy being Captain America I would suggest a career as an artist." Natasha chuckled as they walked to the kitchen where the artist in question was cooking alongside Bruce. Natasha immediately hopped onto the island and sneaked a taste of the delicious meal the men were preparing. Ryland complimented Steve on the picture as he leaned against the counter, watching his uncle blush a little.

"It's nothing," Steve mumbled, a warm red coloring his cheeks as he avoided everyone's eyes. He just kept cooking, pretending like he wasn't actually a really great artist.

"Please welcome, official middle school students, Florence Elizabeth and Charlotte Alana Rogers!" Mickey announced grandly, gesturing to the twins as they walked into the kitchen chuckling. Everyone made a show of clapping and Florence curtsied.

"How was your last day of school?" Steve asked as each girl gave him a kiss on the cheek and sneaked a taste of the meal.

"I cried like three times. I'm really gonna miss my friends this summer." Charlotte said as she munched on a baby carrot. She was definitely the more emotional twin. Florence rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't that emotional. In fact, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I cannot wait until fall when we're officially middle school students. No one takes elementary kids seriously." Florence replied, sliding onto the counter next to Natasha.

"Hey we take you seriously." Natasha told her, bumping shoulders.

"Maybe once we're in middle school Director Fury will consider letting us be apart of Next Generation!" Charlotte beamed, getting excited. Steve and Mickey exchanged a weary glance so Ryland stepped in.

"It isn't all that it's cracked up to be." he said, stepping in front of Charlotte as she danced around the kitchen. He grabbed her hand and spun her around, saying, "There's more homework involved in Next Gen than NYU."

"Yeah but when you get frustrated with your teachers you can kick them." Florence retorted and Ryland laughed.

"True," he admitted, still dancing with Charlotte. "But I'm also related to some of those teachers." he added and Florence literally shuddered at the though of being taught by her parents. Anya had that very problem seeing as she took archery lessons from her dad _and_ Russian literature from Natasha.

Once dinner was ready they all gathered around the table just as Irina and Anya returned home from shopping. They deposited their bags in the living room and joined everyone in the dining room. Irina still had a few more days of school left but everyone was talking about summer vacation. Steve and Mickey wanted to take the girls to Italy for a few weeks at some point over the summer and since the girls were done school they could leave whenever they wanted. After Irina was finished school, Natasha and Clint wanted to take the girls to Budapest for some weird reason. Though Tony and Pepper didn't have any regal plans for summer, they were bound to do a good amount of traveling. Thor and Jane were already in Asgard with Dahlia and Kellen but they were bound to do some traveling as well. Even Bruce was excited to take Danni to Paris later that summer.

After dinner was finished Anya and Ryland got stuck doing the dishes. Charlotte helped clear the table but quickly left when Anya turned on the faucet. Very used to dish-duty, Anya and Ryland worked as a team washing dishes and drying them. As they worked at the dishes, Ryland's phone started to buzz. He checked the text message but set the phone aside without replying.

"Not gonna answer that?" Anya asked but Ryland just shook his head. She let it go for a minute but it kept buzzing, text after text going unanswered. She finally grabbed it and read the caller ID. "Are you sure you don't want to answer...Whitney? She seems very eager."

Ryland just shrugged, drying a dinner plate. "Yeah she thinks she's in love with me." he replied easily and Anya chuckled softly.

"She isn't?"

"Nope. She's more in love with the _idea_ of being in love with me. She just hasn't realized that. But eventually she will, then she'll marry a lawyer and they'll move into a whitewash suburban house with a golden retriever and 2.4 kids."

Anya laughed outright, handing a clean dish to him. "And you know all of this how?"

"I read people, Ace." Ryland replied, stepping into Anya's personal space. "I read between the lines of what you aren't telling me and I ready body language, both of which tell me Whitney and I are destined to be friends for exactly three weeks before we both move on."

"You are not that good." Anya retorted, placing one soapy hand on his chest and shoving him backwards. "But she isn't your type, I will give you that."

Ryland laughed, turning back to the dishes. "And what is my type?"

"Smart girls; girls that can give you a run for your money and a hard time."

"Why would want a girl to give me a hard time when I've got you around to hassle me 24/7, Ace?" Ryland retorted, throwing a playful look at her. Anya laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well than I guess it's inevitable..." she joked, finishing the last dish and handing it to him. She didn't bother waiting for a reply, she just grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands with and joined everyone in the living room.

Ryland watched her leave before mumbling, "Nothing is inevitable."

* * *

Author's Note: Another small taste of Anya and Ryland's banter. I really enjoy their back-and-forth quips and remarks; they already have a good dynamic as adults. As always, you can check out a set from this chapter on my Polyvore (Samitballi. polyvore. com) under the title Linchpin: Two *note: the photos within the set are ideas for Anya and Irina's hair _not_ what they look like facially*

Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I had this chapter ready to post yesterday but the website crashed so I didn't get a chance to upload. So sorry to those of you I told it would be up yesterday.

**Review Reviews:**

**kimbee: **I think you'll grow attached :p lol The twins are hardest for me to write because I'm not around 11 year old's very often so I just do whatever seems reasonable for that age haha These girls aren't going down with a fight no matter what ;)

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Thanks! There's gonna be more S.H.I.E.L.D. coming up as well as more Aceland. I loved picturing Charlotte and Ryland dancing!

**GhostGlowLight: **Oh they won't be kissing for a long time ;) The build up is the best part!

**Linew Ferland: **There will definitely be more Anya/Ryland. It's a build up to something more between them so they'll be plenty of moments shared.

**verreauxii: **Thanks :)

**Emrys90: **Thank you!

**Sora D: **No unfortunately Pepper never got pregnant again. I considered having them adopt but it's just Ryland. Haha Ryland is a looker but so far Anya's the only one looking ;)

**SilenceSpeaksWhenWordsCan't: **After this they aren't going to be as many fluffy family moments but I'm gonna try throwing them in throughout the action. Thanks! I started using Polyvore for my stories a few stories ago and just thought it was a great way of including you in the vision I have in my head :)

**Sasha: **That's okay. I figured it'd take everyone a few chapters to get used to everyone and remember names and ages. That's why the first chapters are just fluff. I ship them too teehee

**ThatsWhatReallyHappened: **That's pretty much how the Barton's work :) I haven't decided if the twins have super serum haha I haven't decided if I'll touch on it or just leave it up to your imagination :)

**maggie: **Thanks! Anya and Irina have a really special relationship- as do Anya and Ryland. I'll try incorporating everyone else a bit more. This story is really about Anya and Ryland so there won't be as much of the team but I'll do my best to keep the scope wide :)

**Morgan: **Thanks!

**AnglesareGolden: **I still haven't decided if Bruce and Danni will have kids, but thanks :)

**asphodel. cato: **Lol thanks!

**Guest1: **Yeah Tony and Pepper never got that little girl they wanted :( But they have six other little kids in the tower that are practically their own. Thanks!

**discordchick: **Hahah yes he's holding out for the right girl *cough cough* ANYA *cough cough* hahaha!

I sorta lied a little when I said the action would start now haha the start of the start of the action starts now :p So the real action started in the next chapter but the set up for the action starts now. What? That made no sense! HAHA sorry you'll understand when you read this chapter and the next :p

Enjoy!

* * *

Natasha fell onto Anya's bed with a heavy sigh, her red hair fanning out around her. "I'm bored," she complained and Anya just had to chuckle. She was standing in the doorway to her bathroom french braiding her hair so it was off the back of her neck and out of the way.

"Where's Dad?" Anya asked as she returned to the bathroom mirror to put the finishing touches on her hair before grabbing her moisturizer/sunblock and applying a healthy amount to her face and neck.

"Off somewhere with Cap. He left me here alone and I'm bored, entertain me." Natasha replied, rolling over on the bed so she faced Anya. She propped her chin up on her hand and kicked her legs back and forth for added affect.

"Sorry, I can't today." Anya replied, flicking off her bathroom light as she exited. Going to her dresser, she pulled on Ryland's gold watch and a few long strands of gold chains. She was just wearing a loose pink tee shirt and shorts with a skinny braided belt but at least her sandals were brown gladiators so she had some sort of style. "I'm going into Next Gen today."

Natasha made a show of pouting even as she reached across the side of the bed to grab Anya's floral print backpack and hand it to her. "You're seriously going to leave me here all alone to participate in a program I- very vocally- detest you being apart of? That's how this relationship works?"

Anya thought for a second before nodding and kissing her mother on the head. "Yeah, that's how this works." she said teasingly as she headed for the bedroom door, Natasha on her heels. But before Anya made it to the front door of the apartment Natasha grabbed her shoulders.

"Are you sure about this?" Natasha asked seriously and Anya rolled her eyes.

"Mom, we've already had this conversation a million times."

"Yes, and we'll have it a million more times before I'm convinced joining S.H.I.E.L.D. is a good idea."

"I don't know if it's a good idea. But it's what I want to do. I want to make a difference in some way- any way. And I think S.H.I.E.L.D. is a great way to achieve that goal of mine. So yes, Mom, I am sure. I'm very, very sure. _You're_ the one who isn't sure." Anya replied, switching her posture so she rested her forehead against her mother's.

Natasha sighed. "Of course I am the one who's unsure. I'm your mother, it's my job to worry."

"Well relax," Anya said, kissing Natasha again. "You really won't look good with worry lines." At that quip, Natasha shoved Anya playfully out the door. Anya laughed the whole elevator ride down to the garage. Anya had her drivers license and she even had a car- a Lexus nonetheless- but she hated driving in New York. Owning a fast car made no sense to her considering every car goes the same speed in midday traffic. So Anya just traveled through the garage out to the street where she climbed inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. black car and headed to the _Super 8_ hotel down the block from the Next Gen headquarters.

"Hey there!" a dirty homeless man shouted almost as soon as she was close enough to hear him. Anya jumped a little, cringing internally as the man rushed up to talk to her. "You're back. You come here a lot. You're a pretty girl. Pretty girls don't come here lots. Where ya headed? Ya headed inside? What's inside? Secret things. Big secret things. I'm Ted."

"Yes I know who you are, Ted, we've talked before...unfortunately." Anya replied, flinching away from his horrid breath. She just kept walking, hoping he'd leave her alone eventually.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I know we've spoke. But I never know if you know. You know? Like if ya forgot." Ted rambled, hurrying behind her. His speech was slurred and he reeked of alcohol even at nine in the morning. He also kind of smelt like pot and cigarettes but mainly alcohol; cheep, canned alcohol.

"So what's inside?" Ted kept at it, asking question after question until they got to the big metal doors of the warehouse Ted refused to enter. "What's going on in there, little girl? What ya got to do with it? Huh? What's the government up to this time?"

"I don't know but if you're going to talk to me please get a breath mint first, _please_." Anya snapped, shoving the metal door aside where it fell to the floor with a clatter. Ted didn't follow her inside but she still repeatedly checked over her shoulder as she wondered about the warehouse before coming across the tarp that concealed the elevator down to Next Gen.

Upon entering the training facility, Anya headed to her locker. They were located next to one of the largest gymnasiums and so everyone kept their personal effects as well as their gym clothes there. Anya's locker was down the line from Ryland's but she was surprised to find him shuffling through his.

"Don't you have class?" Anya asked as she approached her own locker, throwing it open and tossing her backpack inside.

"Got a long weekend." Ryland replied and so Anya looked over at him. For the first time she really looked at him and a warm blush immediately colored her cheeks because he was standing just a few feet away from her in nothing but his low-rise jeans, his bare chest slick with sweat. Anya looked away.

"Hey, Anya." a southern male voice called from the entryway to the locker room and so both Ryland and Anya turned towards the sound. Agent Brant stood leaning lazily against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. Anya tossed a hello and a smile at him as she closed her locker again. "Director Fury is looking for you, Ace. You too, Stark."

"What's he want with us?" Ryland asked as he pulled on a green military button up and spritzed himself with cologne to mask the smell of his previous workout. Agent Brant shrugged so Anya and Ryland both headed out of the locker room in pursuit of Director Fury's office but Brant stepped in front of Anya before she could exit.

"So I got a peek at your performance review today." he said in a low voice, ducking his head a little to match his eyeline with Anya's. "I know I'm not technically supposed to look but I couldn't help but just take a quick peek."

"Oh please tell me I did well?" Anya squeaked, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. Part of her was slightly embarrassed by her own reaction but she had a lot ridding on that performance review. That review would decide whether or not she would stay in the program another year or upgrade to S.H.I.E.L.D. as a legitimate agent.

Brant flashed a dazzling smile as he said, "I have a good feeling you'll be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s youngest agent ever."

Anya immediately pumped her fist down as she whispered, "Yes!" under her breath with a chuckle. Brant laughed along with her, taking just another small step closer to her so when she looked up at him they were a few inches apart. Brant was tall- just a little bit shorter than Ryland- and muscular. Anya didn't know much about his past other than he was born and raised in Texas and had some military training though she wasn't sure what exactly. He had an easy smile and he was always nice to Anya so when he looked about to hug Anya she accepted the invitation.

But before they got another inch closer Ryland cut in. "That's really great, Ace." he said with a smile as he threw his arm around her shoulders. "But c'mon who didn't expect you to beat everyone?"

Anya just blushed, thanking them both. "We better get to Director Fury's office though. Thanks, Brant, see you later." she said with a smile, tossing a wave over her shoulder at Brant who returned the gesture. Ryland let his arm fall off her shoulders as they walked through a series of hallways leading to the Director's office.

"I really am happy for you, Ace. You deserve this." Ryland told her with a sweet smile, bumping shoulders with her. "Tasha's going to have a fit through."

"Dad too. But we all knew it would come eventually. They'll just have to deal with it, I guess." Anya replied just as they stepped up to the receptionist's desk. She told them to wait just a minute while she paged back to the Director's office.

"Right this way," she said a minute later, guiding Anya and Ryland down yet another hallway and to a door with Fury's name on the front. She opened it and they stepped inside together. The room was much larger than any office ever should be but it seemed a lot larger than it actually was because the only furniture throughout the room was a glass and steel table smack-dab in the middle with a giant leather chair behind it, faced away. On the other side of the table covered in manila folders and office supplies, sat two gray leather chairs between a small steel end-table.

Ryland and Anya occupied those two seats, glancing at each other from the corners of their eyes. "Sir?" Anya finally murmured after a minute of silence.

"One of our agents has gone rogue." Direct Fury said, still facing away from the pair. Anya and Ryland exchanged a glance and for a minute Anya was worried Fury had called in the wrong Stark and Barton. "I need you two to rectify the situation."

Ryland looked to Anya before clearing his throat and saying, "With all due respect, Sir, are you sure you want us on this mission? I'm just saying…this seems serious."

"It is very serious," Fury replied, finally turning his grand chair around to face them. He rested his elbows against the glass tabletop, looking between Anya and Ryland seriously. "That is specifically why I've requested you both. Are you declining?"

Any and Ryland just slowly shook their heads but didn't say anything. Ryland was so nervous his hands were shaking so he clasped his hands together between his knees and prayed Director Fury wouldn't see them shaking. A peek at Anya from the corner of his eye let him know she saw his shakes but was in the same boat as he.

"As of this morning Agent Wilson has fallen off the grid. He killed one of our agents late last night and escaped custody this morning." Fury told them, reaching across his desk to hand them each a manila folder. Ryland's hand shook a little as he reached for it but he quickly covered up his trembling hand and grabbed the folder. Upon opening it, he found multiple performance reports and agent information along with a photo of the agent in question.

"I remember him," Ryland said thoughtfully as he examined the folder. "He came to a few of my birthday parties. Are you sure he's gone rogue?"

"Positive," was Fury's only curt response. "He killed one of ours; got into a serious altercation last night where he shot one of my men and threw him out a four story window. If it weren't for video surveillance across the street I wouldn't believe it was him at all."

"That's how you apprehended him?" Anya asked as she perused Agent Wilson's file. She was a speed reader so by the time Ryland got to page two she was finished the entire file. But she kept it open in her lap, reading over it a second time to memorize all the information.

"Yes, we brought him into custody at 0300 this morning."

"But he got away." Ryland said, peeking up at Director Fury from over the file. He got a terse nod in response so he asked, "Why would he allow you to catch him if he was just going to flee within...twenty minutes of arriving at headquarters?"

"He needed our database," Director Fury replied, pulling a Post-It-Note off a pad by his computer. He held it out and Anya snatched it before Ryland could. "Before he got away, he used our computers to look up this name. Sarah Wright, a scientist at a research foundation here in New York. We believe, based on our intel, that Agent Wilson intends on triggering a catastrophic event he calls Echo. Now we don't know what that event might be but apparently Miss Wright is involved somehow."

"So you want us to bring her in?" Anya asked.

"To start, yes." Director Fury replied but he didn't give any further comment. So Anya and Ryland exchanged a long glance before standing up and heading to the door. "Oh and one more thing," Director Fury finally said just as Anya had her hand on the door handle. "No one can know of this assignment."

"Director..." Ryland began to protest but Fury just raised a hand to stop him.

"As of now I have no idea how far into this into organization this reaches. Right now the only people I can trust are those I know for sure aren't involved. That would be you two. Aside from your training you've had the least contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. and therefore have deemed yourselves trustworthy. However no one can know that one of our own has slipped his leash and is off doing god knows what to god knows who. This is very sensitive and the information I've provided you both stays between the three of us. Now I need to know right here and now if you are up for this or not?"

Any and Ryland looked to each other, both searching the other for an answer to Director Fury's question. Neither could imagine keeping such an important step in their careers to themselves. Especially from their family. Ryland particularly had never lied to his parents once in his entire life (safe from "the imaginary dog did it" lies of his childhood). Neither he nor Anya could even fathom keeping such a thing from their parents and the rest of the team. But when they looked to each other they immediately knew their answer.

"We are,"

XXX

Clint walked into the apartment to find Natasha tidying up a bit. She was in the middle of vacuuming so Clint sneaked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a little start. "You're getting soft, Black Widow." he teased as he kissed her exposed neck. She chuckled as she leaned back into him, turning the vacuum off. "Where are the girls?"

"Irina went out with friends after school and Anya went to Next Gen." Natasha replied, not bothering to hide the acidity in her tone. She threw down the cord to the vacuum, making the machine fall over as she also fell to the couch. Clint sighed as he joined her, causing the couch to dip towards him so she naturally fell into him.

"Still not okay with it, huh?" he asked rhetorically. Of course he already knew her answer. He heard it every night and every day.

"I don't like it, Clint." Natasha replied seriously, turning to face him. "She's supposed to be different- she's supposed to be normal. I mean, we didn't fight as hard as we did to just give up on giving Anya a childhood."

"She had a childhood, Nat. She had a wonderful childhood at that. But as much as it kills me to say this...she's not a little girl anymore. She was born middle aged; even when she was a little girl she was more mature than anyone else. She's eighteen now and it's time she made some decisions and mistakes on her own."

"I don't want her making mistakes that could get her killed!"

"None of us do but if we've done as good a job parenting as I think we have, she'll be fine." Clint wrapped his arms around Natasha, hugging her tight to his chest as he kissed the top of her head. "I worry about her too, Tasha. I worry every second of everyday. But I'm confident in her; she's always made the right call. I trust her to do the same thing now that she's on the track to join S.H.I.E.L.D."

Natasha pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. "When did you get so wise?"

Clint just smiled. "I'd like to say I've been wise the whole time." he said but then chuckled. "But who am I kidding? I have no idea what I'm saying." he teased but that didn't mean his words didn't hold some semblance of truth. Even if Natasha hated the idea of Anya training to become an agent, she trusted her daughter.

"She grew up too fast." Natasha mumbled as she looked over to the bookshelf next to the flat screen TV. There were multiple framed pictures of their little family on each shelf as well as throughout the apartment. Natasha was a little shutter happy and took more than enough photos throughout Anya and Irina's childhood. Her favorite photo of all was snapped by Clint a few days after Irina was born. He took it while Natasha was asleep in the hospital, Irina just a few days old but already sleeping well herself. He let Anya hold her little sister as they sat in a chair by the window, the bundle of blankets dwarfing Anya's little frame. She was a little over two years old and even though she'd been terrified to hold Irina at first, she quickly grew accustomed to having her little sister in her lap. So that one day while Natasha slept, Clint placed Irina in her big sister's lap and stood back to watch the girls interact. He snapped the photo quickly as the sun set behind the hospital, casting light all around Anya and Irina as they sat by the window watching each other carefully. They were two days and two years old and yet they looked so serious; like they were talking to each other without saying anything. Blue eyes locked on each other, that photo was a sneak peek at how close they'd be as they aged together.

"They both did," Clint replied, looking at the pictures as well. Anya was in almost every single baby photo of Irina. Photos of the girls playing, laughing, fighting and everything in between. From Irina's first birthday to the photo they took the other day together in Central Park, they were always side-by-side.

"I just wish I could pick her up again, you know? I wish she was little enough that I could carry her around, Schenok in one arm and Ryland trailing along beside us like it always was." Natasha said with a chuckle, pushing down the emotions that tried to overwhelm her. She looked over at a photo they'd taken during Anya's first Halloween when she'd dressed up as a puppy. Her and Ryland were side-by-side on the stoop leading up to the Avenger's Tower, holding hands despite Ryland wearing a makeshift Iron Man suit and Anya having furry puppy paws. Ryland's helmet was pulled back to show his glowing smile and even though one floppy ear was covering Anya's left eye, she was all smiles too.

Natasha smiled softly, clutching her chest as she leaned into Clint. "Our little girl is so big now, Clint." she mused as she picked up a photo from the coffee table. Anya's high school graduation. She was selected from her class to give a speech even though she wasn't valedictorian. She talked only a few minutes about endings and her dislike of them but how a few people stick by forever as one's solid ground. She made eye contact with her parents and Clint immediately teared up. Somehow Natasha made it through without crying, only getting a little choked up. The photo on the coffee table was taken just after Anya and her classmates filtered off the stage and into the hallway where their families awaited. She literally screamed with joy as she hugged each and ever member of her family- not just Clint, Natasha and Irina, but the team as well. They somehow managed to fit all seventeen of them in a photo, Anya in the middle between her parents.

"Yeah she is," Clint agreed. "But she's still our Little Bird."

* * *

Author's Note: I am going away on a 6 day trip leaving tomorrow (Thursday) so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. Knowing me, I'll find a way to post it even on vacation haha but we might not have wifi at the hotel or whatever. So I can't promise chapter 4 will be up in 3-5 days like usual but I'm gonna try my hardest!

As usual, you can check out my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set from this chapter titled Linchpin: Three :)

Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: The first hotel I stayed at didn't have wifi but now that I'm in an apartment I've got internet! Therefore this update is right on schedule :)

**Review Reviews**:

**crazyninjagirl: **Yess! I say that all the time as well :)

**Guest1: **I miss little Anya and Ryland as well so I feel your pain lol I'll try incorporating more of the team but it's sort of difficult with this story centered around Anya and RYland and their mission.

**kimbee: **Clint is wearing off on Tasha; she's getting soft ;) Yeah Ted isn't exactly the kind of guy you wanna meet in a dark alley...

**maggie: **Thanks :)

**ThatsWhatReallyHappened: **Whoa I'll definitely have to look up that story about the Russian girls. I've never heard it before and I'm a little creeped out by the irony hahaha :p

**discordchick: **No one wants to be on the receiving end of Tasha wrath. Especially if her little girl is threatened. Hell I wouldn't want to be around any member of the team when they find out! :p

**Morgan: **Hahaha that is a very strange thing for Director Fury to say! I can't picture Sammuel L Jackson saying "peek" hahaha Thanks :)

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Haha thanks. Ryland is so obvious with his jealousy ;)

**Anon: **I'm sorry :( Well actually I'm not. But I'm gonna say sorry anyway cause I'll look like a tool if I don't :)

**Sasha: **Thanks! I absolutely don't blame you for wanting a man like Clint. I mean who could resist him? And personally I think Clint and Tasha would be/are good parents. Even with their red ledgers and messy pasts, they make a good team and they know where their coming from and how not to end up there again. Thanks again :)

**a fan: **I was going to but then I realized I know nothing about Asgard or how to describe it haha so I figured best leave that up to your imagination :p

**chlow. khoo. 98: **Thanks :) I usually like to post every 3-5 days and apparently, even if I'm on vacation, I'll stick to that haha

**Emrys90: **Thanks! The Clint and Natasha scene had me a little choked up as well, I'm not gonna lie. Especially since we first met Anya when she was so little and cute it's almost as if we've all got to watch her grow up. I'm sure Ryland was thinking something along the lines of "Back off, Tex, she's mine" during that scene hahaha :p

**GhostGlowLight: **Ryland wears jealousy well- unlike most men haha Thank you very much :) I don't think I could ever stop writing at this point.

**CupKatyCakes: **Don't cry! OTP Aceland will make the tears go away ;)

**jeffhardyfan93: **Wow! That's a lot of reading in a short amount of time! I applaud you and your dedication *slow clap* I'm honored you'd spend so much time reading my stories. And omg how excited I am that you actually dreamt about it!? That's the coolest thing I've ever heard. You seriously have no freaking clue how happy that made me! Lol Thanks! :)

I am still on vacation but I leave for home Tuesday. If all goes according to plan I'll upload chapter 5 Tuesday night or sometime Wednesday. Until then read on with the actiony sorta stuff...

Enjoy!

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"This feels wrong," Ryland mumbled as they climbed into his Camaro with Sarah Wright's address in hand. They strapped in and Ryland pulled onto the busy New York streets while Anya punched Sarah Wright's address into the navigation system in Ryland's car.

"You heard Director Fury, he doesn't know how deep this goes. It makes sense that he'd want to keep it under wraps, at least for now." Anya replied as she pulled up the turn-by-turn directions. Even though they both knew New York's streets better than themselves, they used the GPS as a backup to make sure they were headed in the right direction.

"You can't tell me you're excited about doing this alone? That trying to solve this, taking on this mission, without telling Clint and Tasha anything doesn't scare you?"

Anya heaved a sigh, turning her head towards the window so Ryland didn't see the frustration on her face. "I'm not happy about it, Rye, but it is what it is. You knew good and well when we joined Next Gen that missions weren't going to be easy and we'd have to do certain things that didn't sit well with us. This was never going to be a walk in the park but we each decided individually that any complications would be worth it if we had the chance to make a difference in..."

"Alright, alright. Enough with the speech." Ryland cut in. "We took the mission, we're going to finish it. But I'm just telling you now something doesn't feel right about any of this."

"My dad says that your gut is never wrong. But if this mission goes south or anything goes wrong at all I need you to have my back." Anya finally turned to him, shifting in her seat to look at him just as he pulled up to Sarah Wright's home. He killed the engine but sat still for a minute, mentally preparing himself for what comes next.

"I'll always have your back, Ace." Ryland promised, not looking at her. Then he cracked a smile and added, "Besides if anyone has the instincts of an agent it's you. It's more likely you'll be watching my back as I screw up."

Anya chuckled at Ryland's self-deprecating humor as she pushed open her car door and stepped onto the cobblestone driveway. "You would have the same instincts I do if you actually listened in class every now and then." she teased after slamming her car door shut. She was, of course, referring to a different aspect of their S.H.I.E.L.D. training. Director Fury called in different agents- most of whom long since retired from the agency- to teach Next Generation courses on everything from languages, dialects, and cultures, to tactical planning and snap situation analysis. Hell they even had a short three week class on how to file reports and how to properly check in with your handler. Clint and Natasha helped teach a few courses as well as Bruce and Steve, but mostly they used agents who at one time or another killed for sport but had since moved on to cushy lives in the Hamptons or in some cases Barbados. No one knows what Director Fury told them to convince them to leave behind beaches and margaritas and come back to New York to teach a bunch of kids how to fight, but whatever the case they passed on valuable information to sons and daughters of their more domestic counterparts.

Ryland threw a hand up to smack her on the back of the head but she dodge the blow skillfully and he only brushed her hair up a little in the back. She giggled as she sauntered up to the door and wracked her knuckles against the redwood. There was no answer so she knocked again, shouting, "Sarah Wright?" but again she received no answer. Unlike detectives or FBI, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents couldn't really call out their identification and more often than not they had to quickly come up with fake cover stories as to why they were poking into other people's lives. Seasoned agents could calculate an entire back story in less than five seconds and every agent had a drawer or box with fake ID's and badges for agencies they didn't belong to. But no one was going to believe two teenagers were U.S. Marshals so Ryland and Anya didn't get fake ID's or badges, they had to come up with a story themselves that made sense and had nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D.

They both drew a blank.

Anya knocked again, shouting through the closed door before reaching for the handle. She pressed against the door and surprisingly enough it bent to her and opened slowly. She looked back to Ryland before walking through the threshold calling out, "Sarah Wright? You home?" but no one replied. Ryland was on her heels as they walked through to the living room where Any came to such an abrupt stop Ryland crashed right into her.

"Hey, what the..." Ryland didn't finish his sentence after looking to where Anya's eyes were trained. Sarah Wright was home alright, just not alive. Her body was lying face down on the living room floor, a pool of blood all but submerging her pale face. A good chunk of her head was missing where she'd clearly been shot execution style.

Neither said a word for a long two and a half minutes. Ryland wasn't sure what to say and Anya couldn't find her voice so they just stood there in silence until the shrill ring of Anya's phone cut in and they both jumped. Checking the caller ID, Anya excused herself to take Irina's call. She had to clear her throat a few times, trying really hard not to sound as shaken as she was. The conversation had just started when she walked out the front door.

Ryland wondered around the living room while he waited for Anya's return. As much as he wanted to gag, he held back and focused on what to do next. He avoided direct contact with the body, trying not to even look at it, as he perused Sarah Wright's belongings.

"Just be careful," Anya's voice floated in from the front door as she stepped back into the house. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"She okay?" Ryland asked quietly as Anya walked into the room, returning her cell phone to the back pocket of her jean shorts. She nodded solemnly, also trying to avoid the body.

"She's going out with friends and wanted to barrow some clothes." Anya replied. Her eyes periodically drifted towards the body but she kept forcing them away, running her hands through her hair and heaving a sigh. "We should call this in."

"Yeah," Ryland mumbled, drawing out the syllables as if he wasn't even paying attention to himself. "Check this out," he added, gesturing for her to join him by the end table next to the couch where he picked up a set of keys. "They're on top of today's mail which means she used them today. But there's no car out front."

"Hmm..." Any murmured, turning to scan the room. She looked towards the chess set by the bay window and knelt down, pulling out a car manual from the shelf under the table. "When I looked up Sarah Wright's information I noticed she liked antique cars. Maybe she's got a Pontiac parked somewhere."

"If she's paying to park it somewhere there should be a paper trail." Ryland replied, pulling out his phone. His fingers took off hitting a million buttons per second as he no doubt hacked into some database and preformed something illegal. "Here, she's paying for long-term parking in Jersey."

Anya shook her head even as she chuckled. "I don't want to know how you got that information." she said as she picked up Sarah Wright's home phone. She dialed 911 and disguised her voice, informing the operator of Sarah Wright's death in a Scandinavian accent. As Anya made the call Ryland picked up the timer by Sarah Wright's chess board and clicked the timer back and forth repeatedly, thinking.

"We aught to get out of here." Anya mumbled, pulling Ryland out of his thoughts. He clicked off the timer and set it back down to the right of the chess board. Anya whipped the bottom of her shirt against the phone before they walked out together and she did the same thing with the front door.

"Should I have wiped down the timer?" Ryland mumbled as they walked back out to his car and climbed in.

"Nah, CSU won't dust it for prints, just the phone and door." Anya told him as she buckled into her seat. Ryland punched in the name of the parking garage Sarah Wright used to keep her antique Pontiac. As soon as the directions came up he pulled backwards out of the driveway and onto the street.

"It's gonna take us a while to get there. Better call home and let the family know we're probably going to be out late." Ryland wiggled his eyebrows teasingly at Anya who just laughed. "Mmm, Clint is going to be thrilled."

"He jumps to the worst conclusion first." Anya agreed, pulling out her cell phone. "But a road trip to Jersey is suspicious already."

"Make something up," Ryland suggested. "Tell him I'm whisking you away for a romantic evening..."

Anya cut him off before he got rolling. "No." was all she said, holding her hand up to stop him. Ryland laughed outright, sticking his tongue out at her but she didn't see it, focused on her phone as she sent her mom a text message. Her phone beeped a second later with Natasha's reply and soon Anya said, "We're in the clear."

"What did you tell her?"

"That we're off to snort crack off a stripper's cleavage and get a hotel in Jersey to have unprotected sex."

XXX

The twins skipped into the dining room just in time for dinner. "Where's Ryland and Anya?" Florence asked as she found her seat between her sister and Pepper. They'd ordered in Chinese food and so everyone dipped up their own plates.

"Impromptu trip to Jersey." Natasha replied as she grabbed an egg role for herself and one for Clint. "They probably won't be home until late tonight or tomorrow morning."

Florence made a face that did not go unnoticed but Natasha didn't comment. Florence wasn't the only one to see the _looks_ Ryland and Anya exchanged or the way their conversations sometimes leaned more towards flirtatious than friendly. But for Clint and Natasha's sake they never talked about it. Every now and then Irina or Florence would mention it to Anya and she'd blush and deny anything. Dahlia was the only one to get an actual answer from Anya.

"Yeah okay sure maybe we dance the line every now and then." she'd said after a few minutes of Dahlia's relentless questions. "But we grew up together, Lia! We're like...siblings...we're supposed to be like siblings." Anya swore up and down there was nothing there but the truth was in her stutter and in her eyes. She wouldn't tell anyone how she felt though so everyone just stopped asking. Instead they just exchanged looks behind Anya and Ryland's backs.

So that night after dinner Florence called Dahlia in Asgard to give her the news. As much as they all loved each other like family, the girls were all hoping to at least get Anya to admit to herself she had something with Ryland. "Oooo," Dahlia said giddily as soon as Florence told her they were in Jersey for the night. "I mean there's nothing romantic about New Jersey but still! That's a pretty lengthy car ride with just the two of them in his tiny car."

"Natasha said it was impromptu so whatever is in Jersey waiting for them better be worth it. Clint and Natasha are already on edge." Florence replied, falling into her unmade bed. "Maybe this is what they need though. I mean it's about time they spend some real time alone together. Cause let's face it, when are you ever actually alone in this tower?"

Dahlia had to agree even as she chuckled. "Very true, but they've managed to have a good amount of steamy eye-sex moments even with everyone around."

"Ewe," Florence replied. "But you're right, they're constantly watching each other. Even Dad notices!"

"If Steve notices you know it's serious." Dahlia said with a loud chuckle. On the couch beside her Kellen turned over with a grunt. She was silent for a minute to make sure he was still asleep before she kept on her conversation with Florence. "Since I'm not home you have to give her the third-dredge for me."

"Nat says they'll be home by tomorrow morning at the latest so I'll have to grab her before she heads to Next Gen in the morning. I could corner her in the elevator..."

Dahlia paused for just one minute. "I have taught you well, Young Padawan." she said, making Florence chuckle. "But seriously, we're not the only ones who see the sexual tension between those two, right?"

Florence hopped off her bed and opened her bedroom door, peeking her head out into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear before she closed the door again. Florence had a smaller closet but it was large enough to hold all her clothes plus a beanbag chair in the corner with a light above it. That's where she did her homework most nights but tonight it's where she went to make sure she had privacy. She snuggled down in her beanbag chair, turning on the light and making sure the door was closed before replying to Dahlia.

"Irina gave me the scoop on that watch Anya always wears." she said quietly, keeping her voice soft enough that no one around would hear her. Dahlia immediately got excited and quickly exited the grand sitting room she shared with Kellen between their bedrooms. The high ceilings and grand buildings made it hard to find a secluded place where Dahlia's voice didn't bounce off the walls of Odin's castle. But she found her way to the dimly lit library and curled up in a grand wingback chair.

"Okay, go." Dahlia replied once she was alone and comfortable in the large chair.

"It's Ryland's," Florence started off, hearing Dahlia gasp. "You remember when they got lost in Rome last summer? Irina was supposed to be with them but they split up and no one heard from them for like six hours. I mean they eventually found their way back to Tony and Pepper's villa but they never talked about what happened. They always just said they lost track of time and got really lost but that's also when she started wearing his watch."

"So how do you know it's Ryland's watch?" Dahlia asked, getting so enraptured in their gossip that she didn't see Kellen enter the library silently and hide behind a bookcase to her left.

"He gave it to her in Rome." Kellen said, popping up from behind the bookcase and scaring Dahlia to the point of an ear piercing scream. She almost fell off the chair, her heart pounding against her ribcage painfully.

"What was that?" Florence asked worriedly, having only heard Dahlia's reaction and not Kellen's appearance.

"Oh nothing just Kellen." Dahlia replied after she caught her breath. She put her phone on the end table and pressed _speaker_ so Kellen could join their conversation. "How do you know it's Ryland's watch, Kellen?"

"He told me about it." Kellen replied nonchalantly as he took up the seat beside Dahlia, the end table with her cell phone between them. "When they got back he and I talked about it a little."

"What did he say?" Florence screeched, getting excited.

Kellen laughed, leaning back in the chair and picking up a really old leather bound book written in Proto-Norse. He didn't understand a lick of it but he flipped through the old pages anyway. "What makes you think I'm gonna tell you two gossips?"

Dahlia reached over and slapped him on the back of the head hard enough to mess up his hair. "Because I'm your big sister and I'll hurt you if you don't spill now."

Kellen laughed again even as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ryland tells me these things because he knows I'm not gonna go running my mouth to you guys."

Florence sighed exasperatedly, throwing her head against the wall with a little thud. "C'mon, Kellen, you can't start a story and then not end it." she said, catching him in a pickle. Kellen had a creative mind and theoretically he wanted to be a writer one day and the idea of starting and not finishing a story sort of drove him crazy, but at the same time he couldn't betray Ryland's trust. He bit his bottom lip hard as he fiddled with the frayed edges of the book in his lap.

"What makes you two think this is any of your business?" he snapped challengingly.

"Because if we don't butt in they're never going to realize they have something real." Dahlia replied seriously. "C'mon, Kellen, I know you see it too. That spark between them? It's not just two kids who grew up together and share a common familial bond. That's love. A different kind of love than either of them are willing to admit. If we can get them to at least open their eyes and see it maybe they'll take a chance on that love. They deserve to be happy, don't they?"

"Of course they do," Kellen agreed. "But if it's meant to..."

"'If it's meant to be it'll happen' really, Kellen? Really? No." Florence cut in. "That's writer crap and we all know it. Sometimes people need a push in the right direction."

"What do you know, Florence?" Kellen challenged teasingly. "What do any of us know!? Anya and Ryland are the only ones who have ever dated anyone."

"Not true, I dated someone at camp two summers ago." Dahlia reminded him quietly, not entirely proud of that summer fling.

"That wasn't dating, Lia, that was holding hands with a boy in the cabin next to yours and skinny-dipping in the lake." Kellen replied curtly and she pouted. She really regretted doing that...and telling anyone about it.

"Just tell us the story!" Florence cut in aggressively.

Kellen sighed, running a hand through his thick blond hair. "All I'm saying is they got lost in Rome and Anya freaked out. You know how she is, everything has to go her way. So when they got lost she sort of lost it. Most of those hours they were gone Ryland was trying to calm her down again. He gave her that watch to calm her down." he said reluctantly.

"Why would that calm her down?" Dahlia wondered aloud, her voice softer than usual.

"That's not something any of us need to know." Kellen replied, standing up. "Let them have at least that to themselves, okay?"

Silence fell over the girls for a minute and finally Dahlia nodded. "Yeah, I guess we owe them that much." she whispered, not looking up at her brother.

"Thank you," he mumbled, turning to leave the library. "Get some sleep, Lia, Dad's got something planned for us tomorrow."

At that, Dahlia threw her head back and groaned. "Yay!" she deadpanned before saying goodnight to Florence and hanging up. She took a minute to look around the grand library, marveling at the high ceilings and grandeur nature of the architecture. Even if she couldn't wait to get home she could appreciate Asgard. She really was lucky to be there. How many kids could actually say they're royalty? The Asgardian people sometimes went overboard with their bowing and servitude to the royal family but they were generally nice people. And they were all skilled in one craft or another. Painting, building, weaponry, it didn't matter what skill an Asgardian chose, they worked at it until they were masters. Nothing in Asgard was half-assed. That's probably where Dahlia got her slightly OCD nature from.

She sighed softly as she pushed a book back in line with the others on the shelf. All the books that lined those great walls told tall tales of beauteous princesses or hefty warriors or marvelous parties or Thor's own adventures. Running her finger along the spine of a warn out leather-bound book Dahlia wished not to read the tales but to live them.

Her life hadn't been gloomy or even boring but it was nothing compared to the fanciful tales scattered across the pages of the books surrounding her. Kellen was writing the same tall tales but Dahlia wished to live them. She wanted to experience, first hand, adventures. She wanted to have stories to tell her children one day, stories that belonged to her with scars and memories to show for them.

She wanted to scale a mountain with nothing but a backpack and a rope. Or walk from one end of the United States to the other. Or at the very least surf a subway train like a few kids from her school used to. Or fall in love.

Above all other dream, Dahlia wanted to fall in love. She wanted a grand fairytale romance that made everyone else go '_awe_' and wish they had the same. Jane and Thor had quite the romantic love story and Dahlia wanted the same. A romance worthy of the pages of a book.

Dahlia picked up a story with _Freyja_ written on the cover. Freyja being the goddess of love, Dahlia decided to torture herself a bit and read a story about something she'd probably never have. Maybe that was part of the reason Dahlia became so invested in getting Ryland and Anya together romantically. If she couldn't have an amazing love story at least they could. At least she could witness one.

* * *

Author's Note: Shamelessly setting up a 3rd installment to the series focused on Dahlia haha Don't get too excited about that though cause I have absolutely no clue if I'd do it. Anyway, I can't remember who mentioned Florence's sass once but here you have it she's a shipper too! They start so young...

There actually is no Polyvore set for this chapter! That's gonna happen a lot throughout this story cause the timing is off so four chapters will really only be one day- and I don't know anyone who changes clothes that often! But if you can't remember what Anya and Ryand were wearing this day you can check out the set from the last chapter on my profile (samitballi. polyvore. com) under the title Linchpin: Three

Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I'm finally home! As much as I absolutely loved visiting Boston and Chicago, I'm glad to be back in my own bed. However I'm not looking forward to heading back to work tomorrow :/ But I'm working on some theoretical plans to move to Boston in a few years so that's exciting!

**Review Reviews:**

**GhostGlowLight: **I actually never thought of Florence and Kellen. Uh-oh! haha

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Haha my mind is a never ending pool of useless one-liners and ridiculous facts. Oh you don't know everything about the watch just yet ;) Well I appreciate your "retarded reviews" immensely!

**Polkadotmilly: **Thanks! Nooooo I haven't seen it yet :( Where I live it doesn't come out until the 3rd so my mom and I are going to the midnight showing. I cannot wait!

**Emrys90: **Thanks :) Brocode is key, never break brocode. It's almost as strong as girl code!

**ThatsWhatReallyHappened: **Thanks, I was worried about incorporating so many different personalities into the story but I'm glad you like it! I still haven't decided if any of the kids will have power. I kinda want to keep the story move focused on Anya and Ryland and real life problems. But I love the idea of the twins in patriotic suits hehe

**kimbee: **We all know Natasha is an Aceland shipper :p hahaha Thanks!

**jeffhardyfan93: **I can just picture Clint flying off the handle and going on and on about "How could you say this was okay!? New Jersey!? For a night!? Alone!? Just the two of them!? What part of that sounds like a good thing, Tasha!? Why aren't you freaking out!? Freak out with me, I feel all alone in my freaking out!" meanwhile Natasha just rolls her eyes and hands him a glass of whiskey hahaha

**maggie: **Anya and Ryland will either fall in love or get really sick of each other :p Thank you! I haven't decided about the third installment but I thank you for your vote of confidence :)

**discordchick: **Oh that's crazy! My bff's last name is Wright but she's Rachel not Sarah. Who couldn't love Aceland!? Thanks :)

**chloe. khoo. 98: **Ohhh no I wouldn't do that!

**Orion84: **I think Anya's interest would suprise you. Similar to Natasha, she's real good at hiding her feelings. Unfortunately she's also good at pushing them aside when there's a more important task at hand. Mama's boy but without the sissiness is the greatest description of Ryland hahaha

**Sasha: **There won't be any resolution to their feelings any time soon but there's definitely something there between them- for both of them. No one is going to be real happy with Fury- or S.H.I.E.L.D.- when they find out. Thanks :)

**NAME CHANGE: **I'm sure you've already figured out by now that DancesWithWolves10 has now become Samitballi. But just in case you missed it **it's still me!** I decided to change the username because my URL/Username everywhere else is Samitballiand this is the only place that doesn't match. So from now on I'm Samitballi but the writer is still me :)

Enjoy!

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Irina went out with friends after dinner that night but only for a few hours. They went to the movies and for a bite to eat, all the while trailed by paparazzi. Her friends didn't really care that the media followed Irina everywhere so long as they only photographed their good angles. And Irina kind of liked the attention. Unlike her sister, Irina was quite popular. She enjoyed being in the spotlight both at school and in the media. Growing up in the shade of The Avenger's greatness didn't bother her at all so long as she could still get a tan from the attention. And that she did. Irina was a little social light. She went to events and fundraisers and parties all the time; the only rule being, Anya had to tag along. Now getting Anya to go was much harder than getting Irina to but so long as the puppy dog look worked, Irina was going to keep attending benefits and luncheons with mayors and governess as well as Hollywood's elite actors, actresses, musicians and artists. Irina loved being the center of attention and so long as she kept her wits about her, everyone else went along with it.

However by the time the movie was over the paparazzi attention was so bad Irina called Clint to pick her up instead of trying to catch a cab or take the subway. Her friends all went home and she just sat in the lounge of the theater in an outfit almost entirely made up of Anya's clothing. She'd spent a half-hour in Anya's closet fishing around for clothes before settling on jean shorts, a white button up with a black lace bra underneath and black leather Steve Madden troopa shoes. She went back to her closet to grab her black Michael Kors purse, loop a tan knit snood scarf around her neck and pile on a bunch of tan and gold bracelets.

"Your knight in shining armor has arrived!" Clint called as he entered the lounge room Irina had almost entirely to herself. She chuckled as she stood up, slipping her phone into her back pocket.

"Thanks for picking me up." she said as they exited the way he'd entered. They went out the back of the theater, avoiding most of the paparazzi. "We were fine all night until the movie ended. Apparently the ticket taker tweeted our arrival so by the time we got outside the whole area was swarming with photo-snatchers."

"It happens," Clint replied lackadaisically, holding her passenger door open for her. "You know it's only gonna get worse once your out of school for the summer and running around like Paris Hilton partying all the time." he teased as he joined her in the car and pulled out of his parking spot. He had to go slow in order to avoid the paparazzi but they eventually got out onto the streets and headed back to the tower. "Just promise me you'll take a break, okay? Take a day or two to just relax with the team a bit before you go get into trouble with your friends."

Irina rolled her eyes as she said, "Sure, sure, Daddy, I'll do that." with heavy sarcasm, pulling out her phone again to text a few friends.

"How about we go to lunch tomorrow, Daddy? Just you an me." Irina suggestion sweetly, flashing a wide smile as Clint pulled the car into the tower garage. He almost bought it but he gave her a look and asked what she wanted. "I am so deeply wounded by your distrust in me. I mean, honestly, you think I want something? Am I not a better daughter than that? Am I not a better..." Irina went on and on until Clint's facial expression cause her to stop. "I want to go to a party tomorrow night at Brie's house."`

Clint was already shaking his head. "Nope, you know the rule, Baby Bird. No parties unless Ace is with you and we don't know when she'll be home." he replied, exiting the car and locking it before Irina even had her door closed.

Irina pouted, following after him quickly. "But she swore she'd come! She promised me two weeks ago that she would come with me but she flaked. I shouldn't be punished for Anya's discrepancies. Besides you know you can trust me, Daddy."

"It's not you whom I don't trust, it's the other kids. Particularly the boys." Clint replied but Irina's puppy eyes were already wearing him down. He literally winced as she turned the full power of her charms on him. "Did you ask your mom?"

"Yes and she said it's up to you. Please, Daddy, please! I promise I won't do anything stupid and I'll be home by twelve. Pleas can I go, Daddy, please?" Irina begged as they made it to the lobby of the tower. Clint tried to fight her pouty look so very hard but he was a sucker for his little girls.

He caved immediately. "Fine you can go." he said and immediately Irina's face lit up. "_But_ promise me you'll call me if you feel uncomfortable at all. I don't care what it is you won't get in trouble s_o long as __you call_. Deal?"

"Of course, thank you so much, Daddy!" Irina squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running to the elevator like a bat out of hell. The doors opened and Natasha stepped out, almost getting hit my Irina in the process.

"That was fast," she mumbled under her breath, cracking a smile. "She really does have you wrapped around her finger."

"No, no, no!" Clint tried to argue, waving a finger at her. "I did not cave. There are rules and she has to follow them."

"Let me guess, she has to call if anything goes wrong? She won't get in trouble so long as she calls." Natasha replied smoothly, mimicking the same exact tone that he'd just used on Irina. He faltered, unable to come up with a legitimate response. Natasha just laughed, going to wrap her arms around Clint's waist. "You've always been a softy, Clint. But don't worry I'm sure she'll be fine."

Clint sighed, leaning into his wife, resting his chin atop her head. "I worry more about those around her than I actually worry about her."

Natasha smiled, mumbling, "Rest easy, honey, she knows Krav Maga."

XXX

The entire car ride into Jersey Ryland kept cracking jokes to lighten the mood a little. But they were both tense. Nothing about the mission Fury tasked them with made sense and nothing felt right about it. And even though they were going to see it through to the end, neither one particularly liked that idea. But nevertheless a few hours later Ryland pulled off the highway and asked Anya for the street address of the parking garage Sarah Wright was housing an antique Pontiac. Anya had it written down on a piece of paper so she stuck it to the dashboard where Ryland could see it clearly and would stop asking her for it.

"That's just around the corner here I believe." Ryland mumbled almost to himself as he pulled up to an intersection. A small Buick blew through the red light like it was a green and Ryland rolled his eyes. "Jersey," he mumbled under his breath with the utmost disdain as he checked all his mirrors three times before turning into the intersection and down the road.

"That's it there," Anya said, pointing out the large parking structure to the right. So Ryland drove up the street a little ways and pulled over to the curb, killing the engine. Anya leaned over to fix the strap on her sandals and wished she'd opted for sneakers that morning instead. Anya popped open the glove compartment and pulled out two handguns. Fury had issued Anya and Ryland each a service piece when they signed up for the mission but they were both hoping not to use them.

"Just in case," Anya mumbled as she checked the cartridge and the slide. Ryland did the same before getting out of the car and slipping the gun into the waistband of his pants. Making sure to lock the car securely, the two of them headed up to the rundown parking structure together.

"Seedy place..." Ryland mumbled under his breath as they walked inside. There was no guard and since the rumble strip only worked for cars, they were both able to sneak inside real easily. "Security camera." Ryland pointed up and so Anya followed his line of sight.

"Not working," she replied, noting the lack of a red light and the few wires dangling from the back. "it's only for show." So they headed through the parking structure together, scanning the place for Sarah Wright's Pontiac. They got three levels up before finally finding the mint-green car.

"Alright that's it." Ryland pointed towards the car as they approached and Anya smiled, taking in a short breath.

"Oh yeah, that's it." she mumbled dreamily. "400 cubic inches with a Rochester 4 barrel and 360 horse power."

"That is the sexiest thing you've ever said." Ryland said under his breath, making Anya roll her eyes and blush at the same time. "This thing hasn't been touched in ages, look at the dust on top."

The entire car was covered in a thick layer of dust but as Anya rounded the car to check the trunk she called out to him. "Not back here," she mumbled, noting the disturbed dust around the trunk latch. Ryland came around to stand beside her and they both reached to open the trunk together. It was locked so Anya nudged Ryland and he bent down to pick the lock and within seconds the trunk popped open.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Ryland exclaimed, stopping her from reaching into the trunk for the black latched case inside. "We don't know what's in there! It could be anything from an explosive to a severed head. Do we really want to take the chance? Do we really want to..."

Ryland couldn't finish his sentence before Anya rolled her eyes and popped the case open. Ryland flinched hard, making Anya withhold a chuckle, but once he saw what was inside he relaxed a little. "It's a phone," Anya mumbled, looking over the equipment. "This is military grade though."

"There's a scrambler too," Ryland added, picking up the piece of tech. "It's not the best quality but it'd get the job done. She clearly wanted to keep some conversation a secret. Though if she knew better she would've gone with the M1Active Alesis model 3. The beats per second is..."

Ryland sentence once again got cut off when he heard the action of a gun right behind him. Anya froze as well, almost dropping the case in the process. "Put the case on the ground." a male voice said slowly. Anya hesitated one second before letting Ryland put the scrambler back in the case, closing it and setting it on the pavement.

"Agent Wilson, I presume." Anya mumbled. She tried sounding contemptuous but it didn't come out right.

"Correctamundo, now turn around slowly." Agent Wilson replied sarcastically. Anya and Ryland both turned slowly to face the middle aged agent. He'd aged significantly since the last time either of them saw him but then again Anya couldn't really remember what he looked like even then; he was always just a face in the crowd at her birthday parties. But even in the dark of the parking lot she could see years of S.H.I.E.L.D. service weighing heavily in his eyes. They were supposed to be blue, almost the same color of hers, but they'd since turned a dull gray. And his hair had gone salt-and-pepper as well and the few strands that poked out the side of his black baseball cap were wiry and short.

"Drop your phones and your guns to the ground." he said in such a calm manner Anya wounded how many times he held people at gun point before. Probably too many to count. Anya and Ryland both dropped their phones and their guns to the ground with a clatter but Agent Wilson didn't do anything with them. Yet. "Now get in the trunk."

"Are you ser..." Ryland was sort of getting tired of having his sentences cut short but this time he stopped for good reason. Agent Wilson stepped an inch closer, his gun just inches from Ryland's face so the boy stopped talking. Theoretically Ryland could snatch the gun in a second but he was less likely to win the fight that would thus ensue, so he grudgingly got into the trunk of the car followed by Anya. Then everything went black.

XXX

"Ryland what are you doing?" Anya asked, feeling Ryland pressed tightly up against her. There wasn't a lot of room in the trunk but there was more than what he was giving her.

"Bracing to shield you from a shower a bullets." Ryland said tensely.

"Yeah well I think you can relax, it's been a half hour I don't think he's coming back." Anya replied, feeling Ryland relax a little behind her. She kicked the trunk a few times but nothing happened so she started feeling around for a crow bar or anything to get the lock open with.

"What are you- ho! Hey now! Watch that hand!"

"Oops, sorry, Rye. A-ha," Anya pulled out a crowbar from behind Ryland and pressed it against the trunk latch. It was awkward trying to leverage it while laying down and she had to press all of her weight back against Ryland but she kept trying.

"I'm starting to think maybe we should stay in here a while longer." Ryland teased, his voice right next to her ear. He reached forward to grab the crow bar, helping her out. They were pretty much spooning and given the heat outside and the lack of air inside they were both pretty slick with sweat. If Anya weren't so angry she probably would have found the situation sexy.

"Yeah well we're gonna run out of air pretty soon so unless you want to die in here help me out, alright?" she snapped, pushing against the crow bar again. It took seven more attempts but then they heard a loud metal-on-metal clank and the trunk popped open. They both sucked in air desperately and even though it wasn't fresh and it was Jersey Slumps air, it was air nonetheless and they were thankful for it. They fell out of the trunk and onto the pavement, struggling to stand up after laying down so long.

"Ouch," Ryland grumbled, rubbing his legs. "I should've have shielded you, I've got a cramp."

"Where's our phones?" Anya asked, swiveling to look around. There weren't pieces of tech lying around so hopefully that meant Agent Wilson hadn't broken them but it still meant they were gone. So she set out to find them, searching the parking structure and the nearby trashcans. Ryland helped as well but they couldn't find anything, not with just the two of them in the middle of the night with no light.

"One day on the job and we've already seen a dead body, been held at gunpoint, locked in a trunk, lost our weapons and our phones. We're off to a great start, huh?" Anya grumbled as she kicked over a trash can. Ryland jogged up to her and handed something over.

"I cant find our phones but at least we have these." he said, handing over her service piece. She let out a long sigh of relief as she took the gun and checked the cartridge. Agent Wilson hadn't even taken the bullets out, just tossed them in a nearby dumpster. "And don't worry about the phones I'll get us new ones tomorrow morning. Let's just get out of here, okay?"

Anya agreed thankfully as they headed back to his Camaro. Since they didn't have phones, they couldn't all S.H.I.E.L.D. to let them know what happened so they just focused on getting back to the tower. Ryland suggested they get a hotel but Anya refused. "I just want to go home." she mumbled, leaning back into the seat and turning all of the air conditioning vents onto her. Ryland reached over and turned his towards her as well.

"Then home is were we'll go." he said, turning back onto the highway. He went easily twice the speed limit, swerving between cars that were going too slow for him. "Why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested after a few minutes of silence. They were both exhausted but at the same time neither could settle down so Anya shook her head, turning some of the air vents back at Ryland. The car was quick to cool down but the sweat still collecting on the back of her neck seemed less from heat. Silence followed for almost a half hour, both of them trying not to show how frustrated and shaken up they actually were.

"Okay," Anya finally said, turning over in her seat to face Ryland. "Would you rather...never watch TV again or only watch the Golf Channel?" she asked, reverting back to the games they always used to play as children, especially on long trips.

Ryland chuckled, thinking hard for a minute. "Golf Channel," he replied after a minute and Anya had to agree. "Would you rather...get eaten by a shark or attacked by a bear?"

"Shark," Anya responded almost immediately. "Bears play with you and fling you around like a rag doll. Plus there's a chance you'd drown before the shark could fully eat you."

Ryland had to agree but mumbled, "I really just don't want my last thought to be 'Oh my god it's eating my face' you know?"

Anya chuckled, letting some of the tension she felt loosen. "Would you rather...only speak a language no one else knew, or everyone else speak a language you don't know?"

"Speak a language no one else knows. I don't do well with people I can't understand." Ryland said after a few thoughtful minutes. "Would you rather...never eat pizza again or only eat pizza forever?"

At that, Anya threw her head back against the seat and groaned. "_No_," she grumbled, drawing out the vowel sound. "That's mean! You know how much I love pizza."

"C'mon, you gotta answer. Which one?" Ryland challenged, urging her on with a shove of the shoulder. He chuckled at the tortured expression on her face.

She made a grumbling growl sound before finally saying, "Only eat pizza. This is New York after all and how is one supposed to avoid the pizza shops on _every block_?" making Ryland laugh loudly. It took Anya another minute to come of up with her Would-You-Rather question but when she did, she was somber. "Would you rather have no family or no friends?"

Ryland fell silent at her questions. He watched the road carefully, studying the other cars and the signs that passed by in a blur. His face was expressionless as Anya watched him just as intently. The silence lingered even longer and neither answered her question. Finally, Ryland looked over at her, his blank expression holding. But she could read his chocolate brown eyes perfectly. She knew his answer.

But they let the silence persist even longer as Anya reached over the middle console to hold his hand between both of hers.

* * *

Author's Note: Part of the reason it took so long to upload this chapter is cause I completely rewrote the entire beginning of this chapter haha so Clint and Irina's part is entirely new. I hope you guys like where the story is headed! The action is really starting now :)

As always, you can check out my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set on Irina's outfit in this chapter titled Linchpin: Five :)

I'm not sure I ever told any of you guys that I'm on Twitter. So if you didn't know already, you can follow me on Twitter under the URL Samitballi. You can also follow me on Tumblr under the same URL (Samitballi) both of which I post completely random things haha but they are great places to chat with me so I can get to know you all :)

Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I'm going to assume the name change threw you guys off which is why the last chapter didn't seem to get as many reviews/attention as this story usually receives. I wish there was a better way to let you all know about that change or something. I just hope no one lost the story and couldn't find their way back :/

**Review Reviews:**

**Morgan:** Thanks! Yeah Clint is just a big ol' softy ;) lol

**discordchick: **Haha no Irina isn't Paris Hilton that was just Clint picking on her. Though she likes attention she's not an attention whore. Yeah you could definitely say this mission isn't going their way haha

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue:** Both those girls have Clint so thoroughly wrapped around their fingers and everyone knows it haha Ryland's chivalrous like that. I still play WYR every now and then haha it was fun coming up with questions. I'll try incorporating more family stuff later on but now that we're really getting into the mission it's gonna be more about Aceland and this case.

**kimbee: **Haha everyone knows that in order to get Clint's approval you gotta work in a "Daddy" somewhere :p

**Guest: **Interesting take. I'd have to say I'd rather have no friends too. Although sometimes family are the ones with the most power over you- able to build you up remarkably high but also tear you unbelievably far down.

**GhostGlowLight:** Aceland strikes again!

**maggie: **Thank you :)

**Sasha: **I wrote a variation of that Clint/Irina scene a while ago and changed it three times before coming up with the final take. Thanks for noticing Baby Bird! I figured if Anya is Little Bird then Irina must be Baby Bird ;) Ryland is quickly becoming the most adorably chivalrous character haha he spent too much time around Steve growing up. Thanks! I always like to end my chapters with a great parting line or scene. It's almost a pet-peeve of mine lol if I finish a chapter with a crap last line it bugs me until I eventually fix it :p

For those of you who read Mini-Vengers (which I'm assuming is everyone) the beginning of this chapter is a special throw-back for you all. A nice little reminder of how this whole thing started out. And the final reveal of something left hanging from Mini-Vengers...cookies for those of you who remember the origin!

Enjoy!

* * *

It was almost ten o'clock when Clint knocked on Anya's bedroom door. He eased inside the dark room, seeing Anya sit up in the middle of the bed. He was reminded of all the times she woke up as a baby, her hair a mess of strawberry blond curls sticking in every which direction. She was laying in the middle of her queen size bed, sandwiched between twelve pillows of varying size and shape, and covered in three blankets. It might have been 110 degrees outside but one would never know given how well the air conditioners in the tower worked. Plus Anya liked her room cold at night if juts so she could wrap herself up in blankets like a burrito.

"You okay, Little Bird?" Clint asked softly as he stepped into the room. "It's after ten, you never sleep this late."

Anya rubbed her hands against her face, sitting up in the middle of the bed. "Yeah sorry, I was out late with Ryland."

"JARVIS said you didn't get in till after two. What were you two up to?" Clint asked as he went over to sit beside her on the bed. He reached out to smooth some of her unruly curls but it was no use. They had a mind of their own, sticking in literally every and any direction they pleased.

Anya shrugged indifferently, stretching and cracking her neck. "You know, this and that." she said lamely, yawning over the end of her sentence. "Is there lunch? I'm starving."

"Yeah, Cap, made some stuff." Clint replied, gesturing over his shoulder. Anya nodded gratefully, kicking at the blankets that seemed to hold her down to the bed. Clint chuckled as he watched her try untangling herself from the mess of sheets and quilts. He tried to help by flinging back the sheets but his chuckle turned into an 'aww' when he saw what she had tucked under her blankets.

"Shchenok," he said with heavy nostalgia. He picked up the worn and torn puppy. That little dog had seen many good years of Anya's childhood and all the adventures they'd been on together left the fuzzy dog well worn. He was missing an eye and his left ear was missing all of it's stuffing, but there was still a really dirty gross bandage around his leg where Anya once accidentally ripped him.

"I can't believe you still sleep with him." Clint mumbled with a small smile as he played with the stuffed puppy's ears.

"Of course," Anya replied immediately, snatching the puppy from him. She stroked the beloved puppy's ears before setting him on the shelf above her bed where Bearry also sat alongside a bunch of picture frames and childhood memories. As she sat back down on the bed she reached for the headboard, pulling off a silver chain from the peg.

"I kept this safe over the years too." she said, handing Clint the necklace. She couldn't tell what emotion was making him smile so warmly but he held the necklace close to his chest, remember the night he hung it on her crib when she was still just a baby.

"Keep it safe and it'll keep you safe too." Clint repeated the words he used that night he first gave it to her. That was so many years ago but it never left Anya's bedside. When she grew out of her crib she hung it on her toddler bed and when she grew out of that she hung it on the peg of her big-girl bed. She brought it with her on vacations, hanging it on the bunk-bed she shared with Irina the entire summer they spent in Nicaragua, or the hammock she slept in the week they randomly decided to go to Jamaica on spring break. She wouldn't wear it for fear of losing it but so long as she had it by her bed she felt safe.

"It's like my dream catcher." she said softly, smiling at all the nights she woke up from a bad dream and reached for the necklace. It was worn out from all the years Clint had it before he gave it to Anya and from the years she had it as well. But even though it was worn and rusted, Clint's S.H.I.E.L.D. ID number was still visible on the dog tag. The tag beside it had a bullet hole in the center, right in the middle of Natasha's S.H.I.E.L.D ID number but it was still partially visible.

"I imagine you'll be adding yours to this necklace pretty soon." Clint said with a hint of fear in his voice. Everyone knew it was just a matter of time Anya made rank and became a full-fledged agent. Wish as he might, it was inevitable.

Anya placed her hand over his, the dog tags sandwiched between their hands. "No," she spoke so softly, Clint almost couldn't hear her. "This one stays the same."

Anya took the necklace from her father and returned it to the bed post where it hung to protect her. When she was finally free of her sheets she went to the bathroom to clean up and tame her hair. She did her hair the same as every day, fanning across her shoulders in perfect curls. When she went to her closet to search for an outfit for the day, she asked JARVIS to project the day's weather. The heatwave held steady and the day was smoldering so Anya grabbed a pair of Rag & Bone distressed dark wash shorts and a white lace tank top.

Going out in Jersey to the parking structure the night before made Anya want to wear sneakers but she just couldn't bring herself to do it- not with a pretty lace top. So, against her better judgment, she slipped into a pair of gold gladiators. Ryland's watch was sitting on her dresser so she slipped it onto her left wrist and pulled an owl necklace over her head.

"She's alive!" Irina yelled grandly, giving Anya a little start as she headed out of the apartment to the communal kitchen upstairs. Irina all but tackled Anya in a hug as they scooted into the elevator together. "Where were you all night? Dad said you didn't get in until after two."

"Rye and I went to Jersey." was all Anya said in reply, hating how curt she had to be with her family. Irina made a cooing noise in support of Anya and Ryland' s relationship so Anya smacked her little sister on the back of the head. "I hear you went out as well last night?"

Irina let the topic of Anya and Ryland go, picking up a grand story about the party she attended while Anya was locked in the trunk of Sarah Wright's antique Pontiac. Irina talked the whole elevator ride upstairs and followed Anya into the kitchen still talking. Anya was an open ear though and listened until the story was entirely finished.

For lunch Steve made soup and sandwiches so Anya grabbed a plate and helped herself, pulling up a seat at the island. When Irina's story was finished she worked on fixing herself a smoothy, claiming she needed to watch the carbs if she was going to rock a bikini this summer. Anya just rolled her eyes, taking a large bite of her sandwich. Just as she was about to reply to Irina, Ryland walked into the kitchen.

He looked exhausted and as if he hadn't gotten much sleep last night either. His hair was uniform messy and he was wearing jeans and a dark plaid button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There was a scrape running the whole way from his elbow to his hand that Anya hadn't notice him receive the previous night when they fell out of the trunk clumsily.

"You sleep okay?" he asked Anya, pulling up a seat next to her at the island. He ran a hand through her curly hair, a reassuring gesture Anya wasn't aware she liked so much until he pulled his hand away again. She nodded lamely, pushing her soup over to him so he could finish it for her.

"You?" she asked, watching his false nod. He opted for contacts that morning and Anya realized for the first time how different he looked without glasses. It was a good look though.

"So what did you two do in Jersey last night?" Irina asked, watching them very carefully even as she made her smoothy across the kitchen from them. Anya and Ryland shared a loaded glance before shrugged nonchalantly.

"You know, this and that." Ryland replied before shoveling a large mouthful of soup into his mouth. Anya followed suit, stuffing the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth so she couldn't say anything further. For the moment, Irina let it go but she was still casting a very curious eye on them. She'd have to put in a call to Dahlia later that day.

"We better head to Next Gen." Anya suggested, turning towards Ryland who nodded. He grabbed a sandwich off the counter and wrapped it in a paper towel so he could take it with him as he and Anya left the kitchen. Irina watched them leave but a second later Anya popped her head through the archway and said, "Hey, I'm proud of you for keeping your head last night."

Irina turned towards her sister, genuinely surprised she'd actually been listening the whole time Irina told her about the party. It had been more rowdy and out of hand than Irina expected and for a little while she really wished she'd taken Anya with her. Because it didn't matter what was going on, Anya always had her little sister's back, and being in the middle of a crazy party without Anya by her side made Irina a little uneasy. But she kept her cool all night and left early, catching a cab while everyone else continued partying.

"You made the right call," Anya said with a smile. "Those aren't the kind of parties you want to waste your time at. Just don't tell Dad what happened or you'll never see sunlight again."

Irina chuckled even though Anya was right. Anya winked at her sister before heading back to the elevator where Ryland was waiting, munching on his sandwich. He hit the garage level button but didn't ask what happened at Irina's party.

"You drive," Ryland suggested as they got down to the garage. Anya grumbled a respond but fished around her floral backpack for the keys to her Lexus. They were at the bottom of the bag buried under lip-gloss and her service piece. She dug them out and unlocked the doors, throwing her backpack in the back seat along with Ryland's black bag. The engine came to life with a roar and for a minute Anya wished she drove more often. But then she pulled into traffic and remembered why she didn't.

But eventually they made it to Next Gen and she pulled over, parking the Lexus around back where no one could see the nice car. She looked around cautiously, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be watching as well as Ted the homeless guy that always talked her ear off. They were in the clear so they headed inside together and walked to the back where a blue tarp covered the elevator.

Ryland checked his black watch as they entered the elevator. When she asked what he was doing he held up a finger to silence her. The rest of the elevator ride was silent until the doors opened with a dig. "Twelve minutes," Ryland said as they stepped out together. "That elevator ride takes twelve minutes. What elevator ride takes twelve minutes!?"

Anya chuckled as they walked down a series of hallways. "I swear to god we're in the center of the earth right now." Ryland laughed a little too loudly and a passing agent in training gave him a curious look. He covered his mouth, making an adorable face.

"Hey, Anya!" a familiar voice called from the opposite end of the hall and so Anya turned to face Brant. She smiled at him as he jogged up to her and stopped just a little ways ahead of her. "What did Fury want with ya'll yesterday?" he asked in his southern drawl, casting his green eyes onto Anya.

She shrugged the same way she had when Irina asked. "Performance review stuff." she said smoothly. Even Anya was surprised how convincing her lie sounded but she went along with it and Brant bought in.

"You an agent yet?" he asked excitedly, raising his thick eyebrows in anticipation.

"Not yet," Anya replied. "But I think it's just a matter of time before Fury gives Rye and I some sort of promotion or field work."

"Ahh, the exciting stuff!" Brant retorted with a knowing grin. "The filed work is the best; being cooped up in here is sort of killing me. I want to get back out in the filed and shoot something or kick someone's ass."

"Well hey maybe we could spar some time." Anya suggested. She hadn't seen Brant in action yet but considering the tight muscles all over his form, she knew he was a worthy opponent. His arms alone were almost the size of Anya's torso in width and she let herself wounder what it felt like to have those strong arms pin her down and hold her there. She could still probably slip out from under them if she tried hard enough.

Brant flashed an expression somewhere between excitement and arousal. "I don't know if you can handle me, Ace. I get kind of _rough_." he said lowly, that southern drawl pulling Anya in with each syllable.

She threw him a cheeky grin and turned away, tossing, "Good," over her shoulder as she walked away. Ryland was the one to see Brant's excited and intrigued smile. The boys stared at each other for an extra minute, both of their faces blank but each knowing the others intentions.

Brant turned away and so then Ryland did as well, jogging to catch up with Anya. They didn't speak a word about Brant the rest of the walk down to the computer labs. Walking inside they found an open computer and pulled up two chairs, Ryland taking the lead.

All of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technology was translucent from their computers to their cell phones, all thanks to Tony who upgraded their tech when he joined The Avengers. The same type of tech was all over the tower so Ryland and Anya knew how to operate it but Ryland was infinitely better so Anya let him type away on the flat projected keyboard in front of him.

"Sarah Wright used the phone in her trunk before she died." Ryland said as he clicked away on the keyboard. "We don't know the number of the phone since Agent Wilson took it and we don't know the number she called."

"So can we still trace it?" Anya asked and Ryland winked at her.

"Am I not amazing?" he asked rhetorically and instead of answering Anya turned his face back to the computer so he could keep working. "Factoring in how long it took her to get to the parking structure I can look up calls in the area for the following fifteen minutes."

A map of Jersey appeared on the screen in front of them and a few key strokes later Ryland had it zoomed in on the parking structure Sarah Wright parked her car in. "The nearest cell tower would've picked up the call." Anya said, pointing to the little cell tower symbol closest to the garage. Ryland hit a few keys and pulled up the number of calls that tower processed within their time frame. Anya winced, reading the number aloud. "5,678 calls within fifteen minutes. That's sorta pathetic."

"Let's filter it to calls just to New York and New Jersey." Ryland suggested, typing away. Another number popped up on the screen, only slightly worse than the first. "4,382 calls."

"Now just payphones and unregistered cells." Anya suggested and so Ryland started typing again. The next number that came up was slightly less depressing. "Down to 630."

Ryland thought for a few minutes, his keystrokes stopping briefly. "She would've kept it short," he finally said, typing again. "so let's filter it to calls under a minute." The next number actually gave them a sense of hope so Ryland read it out loud. "Down to 39 calls."

"Can you triangulate those calls and see which originated closes to the garage?" Anya asked and Ryland shot her a look.

"Again, I ask...am I amazing or..." Ryland started bragging but Anya cut him off, placing her hand over his mouth.

"Just do it," she said and so he did. It took him a minute to filter through all 39 calls but Anya was too mesmerized by how quickly his fingers flew across the keys to notice the minutes ticking by.

"Got it!" he said excitedly, pulling her out of her daze. She turned to the screen where a small cell phone was lit up green on top of the parking structure. "There was a call made within our time frame from the parking structure to..." Ryland paused as he continued to type, pulling up the address of the call Sarah Wright made. "A payphone in Brooklyn."

"Intersection of Plymouth and Gold. Any chance there's a surveillance camera nearby?" Anya added, leaning in so close to Ryland that she could rest her chin on his shoulder if she wanted. But he didn't seem to mind, in fact his keystrokes got even faster the closer she leaned in towards him. "Doing all this detecting is sort of a rush, huh?" she asked giddily, her breath rustling his hair a little when she turned to see his expression.

He smiled ear-to-ear, bobbing his head even as he continued to concentrate on finding a security camera close to the payphone Sarah Wright called. "Got one," he said, pulling up security footage of when Sarah Wright made the call. Anya turned back to the computer to watch an older man in a tan trench coat and paper boy hat to shield him from the rain walk up to the payphone, his back to the camera.

"He's got a scrambler, that's our guy." Anya said excitedly as the man turned slightly towards the security camera. Ryland froze the shot and isolated the man's face and began a face-trace.

"Let's find out who you are." Ryland mumbled as he worked, comparing the man's photo against every database. It took a few minutes but soon enough they got a hit and Ryland read the profile aloud. "A-ha! Doctor Morgan Kimble a mathematics professor. He worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. until...he _died_ in 2002. Well clearly he's not actually dead."

"So he faked his own death, why?" Anya added curiously, biting her bottom lip. "The only people who fake their own deaths are people running from something- or someone- or people who did something very bad."

"Well it says here that Dr. Kimble worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. to help create math-based predictive models to help create geopolitical change. Looks like we'd bring him a problem- like how to prevent certain countries from attaining weapons, or how to cause regime change in other places- and Kimble would find solutions using linchpin theory."

"What's that?" Anya asked, reading over Ryland's shoulder. It was all a bunch of technical jargon she didn't understand so she just let Ryland explain.

"A small event that could trigger a larger event. Like the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand causing World War l. It's based on the the idea that knocking over the _right_ domino would cause all the others to fall." Ryland explained, turning to look at her. She nodded her understanding and so he turned back to the computer and started typing again. "You still read lips, right?" he asked and Anya nodded.

"I use it all the time on your parents." Anya said teasingly and Ryland smiled. He pulled up the surveillance video of Dr. Kimble and asked Anya what he was saying. It took her a few minutes of playing and replaying the video but she got a rough translation. "Meet me...Friday...six pm...bishop A five...bishop C four...pawn E three."

"You sure about that last part?" Ryland asked, casting a bemused gaze upon Anya who just nodded. "Okay so chess moves...Sarah Wright had a chess board at her place- even a timer. So clearly she was serious about it and Doctor's are smarties so I'm sure Doctor Kimble was a pro too. But I don't-" Ryland's sentence got cut off when an agent stepped up behind them and spoke right over Ryland.

"Director Fury needs you both in his office right away." the tall blond said curtly, turning to leave without another word. Ryland and Anya exchanged a loaded glance before he cleared the computer and they followed the blond down the hall to Director Fury's large office. Stepping inside, Anya felt the same way she did just the day before when Director Fury tasked them this mission.

"Director Fury?" Ryland asked as he stepped into the office beside Anya, the door slamming loudly behind them. They both flinched before walking up to the chairs across from Fury's desk and taking seats. "Do you need an update, sir?"

"No, I'm plenty updated. In fact I know a lot about this particular case and how last night the two of you had a run in with Agent Wilson." Director Fury replied, leaning forward in his large chair. Any and Rylnad looked at each other, both wondering how on earth Fury found that out. "How'd that go?"

Neither Anya nor Ryland felt the need to actually reply so they just kept quite. Director Fury gave them a few minutes to sit in silence before he spoke again.

"Considering you were held at gun point, locked in the trunk of a car and got your evidence stolen...I'm guessing not well." was all he said. Anya studied a fray on her sandal, refusing to look up at her boss. Finally Fury stood up and Anya had to look up but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Which is why I'm taking you off this case."

Anya rocketed to her feet almost instantaneously. "No, sir, we have this under control. Agent Wilson blindsided us last night but we'll be sure not to let that happen again. And we didn't lose everything, we still have a solid lead if you would just give us another..."

Anya didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before Director Fury held his hand up. "It's already done. Agent Shaw is taking over the case."

"But, sir, please. If you give us one more..." Again, Anya's protests were cut short.

Director Fury kept his hand up and his head almost bowed. He almost looked as if he regretted the decision he had to make but it was also clear that he'd already made it, and he wasn't going back. "That's all," he said in a low voice, his dismissal of their presence clear as day.

Anya hesitated a minute before Ryland guided her out of the office. The door slammed behind them again but this time Anya didn't flinch. The receptionist didn't say anything but she had a very specific look that told Ryland she felt bad- like she knew they'd received bad news. Though no one else knew specifically what the news they got was, everyone could tell Anya was crushed. Or angry. The two looks were very similar.

"Ace, I..." Ryland tried to say but stopped when she turned to look at him. That's all he needed to back away. He put up his hands in defense, showing his innocence as he took a few cautious steps away from her. "I'll be at the tower...come home when you're ready." he said slowly.

For a split second Anya looked grateful, but then she turned her back and stormed off. And so Ryland went to the elevator and rode twelve minutes up to the warehouse where fresh air just felt like another smack to the face. Great. Fury slapped him around and now nature was too.

Guilt settled deep in Ryland's gut and he wondered what he could've done to help keep Anya on the case. Or what he could still do.

* * *

Author's Note: So does anyone remember what that thing was I left hanging from Mini-Vengers? This mission really isn't working out for Anya and Ryland but it's clearly bringing them closer together which is well worth all this trouble, no ;)

As always you can check out my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set from this chapter titled Linchpin: Six

Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: My allergies are killing me right now! I seriously want to rip my face off I'm so miserable lol I also think I'm getting a cold on top of that, so suffice to say I'm not a happy camper right now. But righting for this story always makes me feel a little better :)

**Review Reviews:**

**kimbee: **I'm glad a lot of ya'll remembered! I was afraid no one was going to remember and you'd all be like "umm...what?" haha

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Haha that band-aid has surely seen better days. Clint has no idea what's going on yet so for now he's under the impression she's just busy which is why he isn't freaking out- yet. Personally I feel like Ryland wouldn't threaten Brant, rather try talking Anya out of being around him; but we'll have to see how that situation pans out ;)

**GhostGlowLight:** Thanks :) Oh they won't be kissing for a long time! The sword play leading up to a first kiss is always the best part!

**lostwithoutahome: **Thank you so much! It's weird, but hearing about the emotional roller coaster ya'll are on makes me smile haha I go through so many emotions while writing these chapters, its nice to see that translates well :)

**Jenna: **Haha you caught me! Yeah I first got the mission idea from an episode of Castle last season or something. Such a good show, love it sooo much!

**jeffhardyfan93: **Anya's a really amazing big sister- something I'm sure we all saw coming even during Mini-Vengers :)

**discordchick: **She is definitely very green. Though I'm sure she didn't anticipate any real combat. Lying to the Avengers isn't the best idea lol but at least it's for the right reasons.

**BlueBanshee: **Thanks! Anya and Ryland are definitely very similar to Clint and Natasha especially in their banter and their partnership. No one's a real fan of Brant haha but that's sort of the point of a love triangle, no?

**Morgan: **Bringing up the Mini-Vengers feels again for just a little bit :)

**team. k. putt: **Well linchpin theory is an actual thing, but yes I got the idea for Anya and Ryland's first mission from an episode of Castle.

**guest1: **I hope near tears is a good thing! Thanks :)

**maggie: **With how stubborn these two kids are, they are bound to figure something out ;) Thanks!

**Sasha: **I thought we needed some kind of throw-back to Mini-Vengers and what better way then to bring back Shchenok, who literally became like another character by the end of the story haha. I thought I'd try a different approach for Clint- a more, I'm trusting that you're just busy and not in danger, but if you are Papa Bear will swoop in and save you- sort of approach haha. Ryland the son of Tony Stark and Anya the daughter of Natasha Romanoff...disobeying Fury? Whaaaaat noooo ;) hahaha

**Emrys90: **The bullet hole is actually in Natasha's dog tag not Clint's so it's not from that first shot (he has one of his S.H.I.E.L.D. ID's and one of Natasha's on the same chain). So the necklace Clint gave Natasha for Christmas (in Mini-Vengers) is unrelated to the dog tags. However the dog tags is what Clint gives to Anya at the end of chapter 24. Everyone's a little distrusting of Brant so far. Maybe that had less to do with him and more to do with the obstetrical coarse he sets up for Anya and Ryland to work their way through before they can get together ;)

So I haven't taken a second yet during this story to tell ya'll how much I appreciate every single one of you! This story is different from Mini-Vengers in that I've got the whole thing mapped out in my head so I'm not really taking suggestions- unlike Mini-Vengers. But even though I'm not incorporating all of your ideas, I want you all to know that I seriously, absolutely and totally love you all! You are the rock on which Aceland stands!

Enjoy!

* * *

Getting to the gym was a blur to Anya. She didn't remember walking through the hallways to get to the locker room or changing into her sports bra, running pants and a blank tank top. She definitely didn't remember the first half of her workout that she spent furiously pounding her fists into a bag. But nevertheless she found herself in the middle of the empty gym drenched in sweat more than three hours after finding out she was kicked off the case.

She threw another punch into the fabric of a punching bag. Her first case and she already screwed it up. The first time Fury trusted her with anything and she failed. Good luck ever becoming an agent. Good luck ever advancing. Good luck.

Anya hit the punching bag harder and harder; every time her fist connected the sound resonated throughout the gym, rivaled in sound only by Anya's grunts. She threw up a three punch combo before spinning and landing a kick in the middle of the bag. Taking a step back, she ran a hand through her hair as it fell out of the pony tale and stuck to her forehead.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were pissed." Ryland's voice carried though the gym as he stepped up behind her. He got close enough for Anya to throw her elbow back against his ribs hard. But he was skilled enough to block her hit, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him, throwing up his hands again to block a punch she aimed right at him.

"Now why would you say that?" she snapped back at him sarcastically. She threw up another punch but he deflected again, grabbing her arm and twisting until she winced. He threw her down to the mat where she landed with a grunt and a thud, immediately twisting around and scissor kicking his legs out from underneath him.

"Gee I don't know," he grumbled after he fell on his back. She pounced on him, grabbing his leg and pinning him down to the mat in a grappling hold. Ryland winced as she rotated his leg in an unnatural way but he slipped his leg out, grabbing her arms and pushed her up and off of him.

"Well I'm perfectly fine." she retorted, struggling upright and throwing her hands up in a fight stance. They approached each other again, throwing kicks and punches wildly, all of which the other blocked. Ryland got a swift kick to her thigh which brought her to her knees and he seized the opportunity to tackle her to the mat. He slid his hand between her legs and pulled her left leg up to her chest and to the side, pinning it against the mat with his arm and throwing his body weight down on her. When he looked up their faces were so close he could count the shades of blue in her eyes.

"Oh yeah? Cause you seem a little...tense." Ryland teased, pinching her thigh. Anya flinched at the same time she giggled. Damn him for knowing all of her ticklish spots. Anya got an evil gleam in her eye as she threw her leg up around his neck and forced him to roll over until she was on top of him and had him in a choke hold.

"Nope, I'm not tense at all. In fact I'm rather enjoying myself." Anya's sentence got cut off when Ryland threw her backwards against the mat so hard she screamed. They gave each other a minute to catch their breath before jumping up and settling back into fight stances. Both gasping for air and light on their toes, they circled each other slowly.

"Oh so you're not pissed Fury took us off the case?" he asked, earning a full contact kick to the ribs. He yelped, doubling over long enough for Anya to get a grip around his waist and pull him down to the mat once again. She flipped until she was on top of him, her legs astride his waist as she pulled his left arm up and twisted it painfully.

"We're better off not working this missions anyway." she said slowly, giving Ryland's arm a good hard twist. He grunted in painful frustration before wrapping his legs around her waist and flipping them over so he was on top of her, his legs straddling her hips. He pressed down hard against her, his knee pressing painfully into her side as he slid his arm against her neck, also applying sufficient pressure there. If she weren't already gasping for air, Anya would have been.

"Oh really? It's a shame you feel that way." he said, releasing enough pressure for her to suck in a deep breath but then he applied it once more, all the while Anya processed the situation and tried to come up with an escape route. "Because I figured out the chess moves Dr. Kimble told Sarah Wright about on the phone."

Anya looked up at him with shock and curiosity but at the same time she seized her opportunity to strike his arm, loosening the pressure on her neck and throw her knee hard into his tailbone. Ryland yelled in pain as he rolled off her and she rolled on top only to get thrown off to the side. Again, they let each other catch their breath before jumping up and returning to their fight stances.

"You figured it out?" Anya asked, gasping for breath. Ryland threw a few punches and kicks at her but she deflected all of them. They were both getting tired but neither showed any signs of slowing down so they continued to throw punches and kicks at each other.

"I spent the past three hours..." Ryland paused, ducking out of the way of a punch. "with my chess board trying to..." He dodged another punch, dancing around her in a circle and trying unsuccessfully to kick the back of her knee. "figure out how bishop A five, bishop C four and pawn E three are good..." The next punch Anya threw got him in the shoulder and he let out a strangled moan as the pain shot through his entire left arm like an electric shock. "chess moves."

Anya ducked out of the way of a punch before sidestepping a kick. "They aren't good moves?" she asked, knowing nothing of chess in particular. Ryland threw a double punch, kick combo and she dodged each until he landed a blow to her hip and she yelped. They were both sure to be covered in bruises by the time they were finished.

"They aren't," Ryland replied but spared her the details of why those weren't good moves. Instead he threw out his left arm to distract her from the punch he landed in her gut with his right. She grunted, doubling over and he tackled her down to the mat, situating himself between her legs and pressing all of his weight against her. It wasn't a particularly useful position but with their hips digging into each other, he was able to slip an arm under her thigh and pull it up to her thorax, pinning it against her rapidly rising chest.

"So why did he...play them?" Anya asked breathlessly, trying to no avail to squirm out of his hold. Every millimeter she moved Ryland would just press harder against her, causing her breaths to come out in short gasps and her leg start to tingle.

"It's code," he replied, putting even more pressure against her leg but also accidental giving her the opportunity to hoist it up over his shoulder. She used his momentum to push him backwards. When she landed on top of him her leg was still over her shoulder so she was sitting on top of him. From there it was easy to get him in an arm-bar.

"Code for what?" she asked but Ryland was unable to respond as she pulled his arm harder than necessary. He grunted a frustrated sound and flipped them over again. This time when they fell apart neither got up, rather just laid there catching their breath for an extra minute.

"I think it's code to where they meet to play chess. A public park or something and that each piece stood for the first letter of a word." Ryland explained breathlessly. Once he had his breath again he popped up to his feet and Anya grudgingly stood up as well.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take." she admitted breathlessly but threw a punch at Ryland anyway. He dodge it so she threw another and another. "Okay so B and then seven spaces that could be..." She paused to land a kick to Ryland's leg. He grumbled a curse under his breath. "Brooklyn!" Anya said, throwing a punch at him which he deflected and used her momentum to threw her across the room. She got her footing again in no time.

"And then B and six spaces..." Ryland mumbled, blocking another attack. He threw his leg out in a high kick but she caught his leg and twisted and he crashed down to the mat hard. He made a noise half like a scream and half like a grunt as he landed on his stomach, face down in the mat. Anya immediately threw her knee into his back and applied pressure. "Bridge!" he exclaimed, coming to the answer even through his pain.

"P then four spaces..." Anya replied just before Ryland twisted, hitting her in the face and throwing her down to the mat. "Park!" she said loudly even as she rubbed the now sore spot on her chin. She got up on her hands and knees and Ryland tackled her again. They slipped back into his favorite position with her leg up close to his shoulder and his weight against her. In the back of her mind Anya wondered how she hadn't already figured out a way to avoid the position considering Ryland threw her into it so often.

"Brooklyn Bridge Park!" they both shouted at the same time, their faces inches apart. Anya looked up at him with a smile even as beads of sweat dripped off his forehead and onto hers. It struck her then just how close they were, that his hips were right over hers and his hand was wrapped around her thigh. They were close enough that she could count the different colors of browns and greens in his eyes, or even reach a millimeter closer and touch his lips with hers.

"We should get cleaned up," Ryland mumbled, breaking her revere. She snapped her eyes up from his lips, a little embarrassed he caught her like that. He pushed against her a little harder, making her wince as he chuckled. But then he got up and offered her a hand so she took it and sprung up to her feet.

"I want a rematch later." Anya said teasingly as she grabbed a water bottle and drank the whole thing. Ryland got a real giddy expression on his face that Anya couldn't help but love.

"The meet is in a few hours, if you get cleaned up fast enough we can make it." he asked excitedly but didn't give Anya a chance to reply as he ran off to the locker room to clean up and change. Anya shook her head with a smile as she grabbed a towel from a nearby bench where Ryland had left his gym bag. Originally it was his towel but Any snatched it to dry off her sweaty face and when she did so the new phone he got fell to the floor. She picked it up to make sure it wasn't damaged but the screen was turned on, illuminating a text Ryland had received during their sparring match.

Anya couldn't help but read the words sent by one of Ryland's female classmates. It was crazy the little sprouts of jealousy that rose up inside of her. She knew Ryland better than any of those woman, she was closer to him than they were, hell she spent her entire life with him. But still, the flirty text angered her. She threw the phone into his bag with a '_humph_' and walked back to the locker rooms to clean up.

The text wasn't even that bad, she reminded herself as she stripped down and stepped into a shower stall. It was just a classmate looking for a study partner. But her name was Ashley and she 'wants to get together soon' and that made Anya angry. Of course Anya had no claim over Ryland, they weren't dating they were just friends- family. But still, she couldn't help but feel as if Ryland belonged to her in some small way. Maybe because they grew up together, maybe because she knew him inside and out, maybe because she wore his watch every day, or maybe because she trusted him with her life and he trusted her as well. Or maybe because Dahlia and Florence were right.

Anya had to chuckle. Dahlia and Florence were never right, about anything. Her relationship with Ryland was no different. She was just protective, that's all. She cared about him, anyone around him would.

But Anya had to put all of that out of her mind as she dried off and fished around in her bag for a change of clothes. She didn't have much in her Puma duffel bag besides a blue tee shirt and a pair of dark cargo shorts. But her work out clothes were gross and she couldn't find the clothes she wore that morning. Changing in a daze usually resulted in lost clothing.

So Anya changed into what she could find, fishing around in her locker for a pair of gold gladiators. She still had to style her hair because the humidity would kill it if she went out with it wet, but that didn't take long. In fact, if she went fast enough she could stop off at the tower before the meet with Dr. Kimble. So Anya moved a little faster and soon enough she bumped into Ryland in the hallway.

"I wanna make a stop on our way out." she asked without giving him a chance to reply. So he grabbed his own duffel bag and flung it over his shoulder, rushing to catch up with her. They walked down the winding hallways headed towards the offices. Ryland knew immediately what they were doing but he didn't protest or say a word as they sneaked up to Agent Shaw's cubical.

"She's not here," he pointed out and Anya shot him a look.

"Nice catch, Genius." she retorted teasingly and Ryland hit her. She winced even as she chuckled. But there was nothing to see at Agent Shaw's desk so she turned away; but when she turned the sound of stilettos caught her attention. No one at S.H.I.E.L.D. wore stilettos they were impractical so everyone wore flats or wedge heels. But not Agent Shaw, she was always in high heels.

Anya followed the sound to a conference room down the hall, Ryland on her toes. Peeking a head around the corner, they saw Agent Shaw and a group of men surrounding her, talking about the case no doubt. They couldn't hear what they were saying but based on hand gestures they figured Agent Shaw was reading everyone in on the case.

"They traced the call," Ryland whispered, his lips so close to Anya's ear that she flinched. They shared a look before turning back to spying.

"They know Doctor Kimble is involved then." Anya added, straining to hear through the glass. The voices inside were reverberating off the glass but it was too mumbled and unintelligible for Anya to understand. And because Agent Shaw was faced away she couldn't read her lips either.

"I don't think they figured out the code yet though." Ryland said hopefully. They were both getting so into their spying that they were leaning into each other heavily. Anya was practically supporting all of Ryland's weight so when he slipped, they both fell into the glass wall. The resounding thud made the whole glass wall shake and Ryland cursed under his breath.

They ducked away behind a cement partition just in time for Agent Shaw to whip around towards them. If she saw, she didn't say anything. But just in case, Anya and Ryland stayed hidden a minute longer before sneaking to the elevator.

"Hey listen," Ryland said, turning to her once they were in the elevator. "I'm sorry we got thrown off the case. I feel sorta responsible and I promise to make it up to you. I know how much S.H.I.E.L.D. means to you and what with your performance review coming up none of this looks too good. But we're gonna figure this out and everything is gonna be fine, okay? I promise."

Anya wanted so badly to just lean into the reassuring hand he laid on her shoulder. She wanted to lean into a hug, let his strong arms hold her up if just for a second. But instead she turned her gaze on the crack between the doors. "Don't make promises you can't keep." she mumbled almost under her breath.

Ryland let his hand drop from her shoulder but he kept his eyes on hers. "Can I make promises I intend to keep?"

"_Will_ you keep them?" Anya asked softly, finally turning her gaze back to his.

"I make no promises." Ryland retorted with a wink. Anya hated the smile that she couldn't fight. But luckily he didn't pry any further and the rest of the elevator ride was silent. When the doors opened and Rylnad held back the tarp for her, Anya realized how enraged Fury was going to be when he found out they were still working the case. And he would inevitably find out. She cringed at the thought of unleashing Director Fury's wrath- especially when this case means so much to him. But they weren't going to turn around and lay down, they were going to fight. And even though it might make matters worse, Anya and Ryland had no intentions of backing down.

So they climbed into her Lexus and went over the evidence once more.

"Here's what we know," Ryland started off, listing everything on his fingers. "We know Doctor Kimble faked his death in 2002 but we don't know why. We also know he's connected to Sarah Wright somehow, but we also don't know how."

"Actually," Anya cut in as she swerved around a cab, almost hitting a bike messenger in the process. "I looked them both up and Sarah Wright took a mathematics class from Doctor Kimble- which is our correlation."

Ryland shot her an impressed look until a parked car threw it's driver side door open and Anya swerved again, this time almost hitting a pedestrian. "Sometimes I forget Tasha taught you how to drive." he grumbled as he held on for dear life. She shot him a dirty look and urged him to continue counting off the facts they had already.

"Based on chatter, Fury thinks Agent Wilson is trying to trigger a catastrophic event called Echo." Anya surmised. "Maybe he was working with Doctor Kimble on that linchpin theory you were telling me about- the idea that something small could trigger something much greater."

"That's probably a good guess." Ryland replied. "But that doesn't explain why he killed Sarah Wright, especially if they were all working together."

"Maybe they were planning something big," Anya said thoughtfully as she pulled into the tower garage. "And Sarah got cold feet, decided she wanted out, and Wilson wouldn't let her. Things got heated and he shot her to keep her quite."

"Maybe..." Ryland admitted only that as he climbed out of the car and headed for the elevator. "It just doesn't..." he struggled to find the right word until Anya came up with it for him.

"It doesn't feel right." she said and Ryland made a face. "I know...none of this feels right." They shared a glance as they stepped into the elevator quietly, both stuck in thought.

"Nothing about this case feels right." Ryland mumbled after a minute. She turned her head to look up at him and Rylnad continued with, "But everything about this partnership feels right."

* * *

Author's Note: Fluffy Aceland moments are fluffy! As always, you can check out a set on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) from this chapter under the title Linchpin: Seven. Okay, I'm going to go crash into bed. I will see you all in 3-5 days for chapter 8 :)

Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I've been writing this story on a notepad during my downtime at work lol and though I'm sure my boss would kill me if she knew, it's made for some interesting ideas. I'm really excited about where the story is going and how well you all are responding! I get so excited when I realize I've come up to the 3 day mark and can upload another chapter :)

**Review Reviews:**

**crazyninjagirl:** Those are pretty much the only necessary steps to solving anything. Lol I absolutely wouldn't put it past them- especially Lia- to start singing that!

**kimbee: **I'm sure she's caught somewhere between believing it could work out just like it did for her parents, and thinking they are the only exception to a regular rule ;)

**discordchick: **haha thanks; I thought the sparring was pretty hot myself. If I could keep up, sparring with someone like _that_ would be amazing ;)

**Emrys90: **I use Aceland all the time! Even when I talk to people in real life about the story I refer to them as Aceland :)

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Lol the mental image I got of Ryland falling into Anya was kinda great, I'm glad you liked it too :) Thanks!

**KristenGall1998: **Thanks! I can't take credit for the ship name Aceland but it is pretty perfect.

**Lollypops101: **You'll have to wait and see which side Brant winds up. And even when you've got it all figured out, it might not go about the way you think. Brant is a mystery, through and through ;)

**jeffhardyfan93: **A few people are pretty suspicious of Ace's missing clothes. Anya and Ryland take after Clint and Natasha that way I think :)

**maggie: **Thanks! Leaving each other with bruises is their way of saying I love you ;)

**GhostGlowLight: **Haha nope they aren't gonna kiss for a long while ;)

**Sasha: **Aww I hadn't even thought of that scene! Now I'm all warm and fuzzy inside thinking of how much Ace has grown up! Ryland and Anya really have a playfulness about them I love- because even though they're being rough with each other they're still able to have fun. And even during their more serious moments, their banter is light enough to get a few smiles. I'm glad you like and enjoy this story too!

My guilty pleasure is updating this story before I go to bed so when I wake up in the morning my inbox is full of lovely reviews and notifications. It's absolutely the best way to start my day. I love hearing from you all and see what you loved and what you found suspicious and whatnot. Now that the mission is in full swing I'm excited to see what you all think about it and who done it so to speak. Feel free to take guesses and throw out ideas. The best part of a mystery is figuring it out before the protagonist, no?

Enjoy!

* * *

Anya changed yet again when she and Ryland stopped off at the tower before their meeting with Dr. Kimble. This time she listened to the voice in the back of her head that told her to put sneakers on. So she changed into a floral print tank top, black shorts and black Converse- Ryland's watch forever in place on her wrist. Ryland was waiting for her in the living room having changed into jeans and a baseball tee.

"Why don't you wear your glasses anymore?" Anya asked curiously as she gathered her things together, tossing things haphazardly into her backpack. Ryland just shrugged nonchalantly, lounging across the couch like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Contacts are easier," he said lazily. "I don't have to worry about doping them, scratching them, losing them or breaking them. Why, you prefer the glasses?"

When Anya looked up she was a little started at how interested he really seemed. He really wanted her opinion; so she gave it to him. She shrugged a little as she said, "You're handsome either way." honestly. The look that crossed Ryland's face was somewhere caught between elation and intrigue. She didn't give him a chance to say anything else before grabbing her backpack and heading back downstairs. On the way to the garage they ran into Tony who immediately asked where they were headed. Ryland come up with a feasible lie and it pacified Tony enough for him to let them leave but it was clear as day he was getting suspicious. In fact everyone was.

Florence all but cornered Anya in the elevator but Anya deployed evasive maneuvers and the older of the twins didn't get much information. Anya thanked her lucky stars that Dahlia was still in Asgard for a little while longer or else she wouldn't have gotten away so easily.

But those two were only curious about Anya and Ryland being together; whereas everyone else was worried about what they were doing together. Natasha could spot a lie from a million miles away and every time Anya fibbed about where she was going Natasha got a little more curious. It was only a matter of time before Natasha got Clint curious too and the both of them would sit Anya down for a talk. A talk, which would wind up being the Spanish Inquisition and Anya wouldn't get a word in edgewise.

"You're thinking pretty hard over there, girly girl." Ryland commented as they drove to Brooklyn Bridge Park. They opted for Anya's Lexus for the space just in case they could convince Dr. Kimble to come back to Next Gen with them. Though that seemed unlikely.

"I'm just worried about the family finding out." Anya replied, biting her lip. She looked very serious, so Ryland made a joke.

"Find out about the steamy hot sex we've been having this whole time?" he teased, earning a swift punch to the arm. "Ow! Me thinks the lady doth protest too much. Ow! Stop that!" Ryland went to slap her back after she got him twice but he missed, only smacking her lightly. But in any effort it got her to smile. So for the rest of the drive to the park they stayed far away from topics such as the case, the family or the repercussions of what they were doing. Which didn't leave them with much else to talk about.

"So you and Brant are looking pretty cozy together." Ryland commented as they drove. If she weren't focused on the road Anya would've shot him a look. But since she didn't give it to him Ryland pretended like she was okay with the topic, so he continued. "I mean he's always been pretty sweet on you but recently...he's gotten a little creepy."

"He's not creepy!" Anya protested if just because Ryland was being unfair.

"_I get __kind of__ rough_." Ryland quoted Brant in a near perfect southern accent. Anya went to throw a comment at him about the sexy accent but he steam rolled right over her. "Tell me that's not creepy?"

"Equal parts cute and rapey." Anya allowed and Ryland bowed graciously from the confines of his seat belt.

"Thank you for the admittance."

"But still," she had to add, if just to spite him. "He's a really nice guy and he's helped me out a lot. I've got no reason to dislike the man, I think I'll give him a shot." Anya pulled up to the park then and found a spot, killing the engine. She hoped out of the cab, followed closely by Ryland and they headed into the chess area together.

"Hold up," he said, jogging to catch up with her after a brief entanglement with his seat belt. "You're gonna give him a shot? As in, you're going to spar with him?"

Anya shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe I'll spar with him maybe I'll even go out with him. Why are you so concerned, Ryland?" she replied, turning a knowing gaze at him. Ryland stuttered a nonsensical reply and Anya got a real mischievous look on her face.

"I'm concerned because you said he was rapey." Ryland retorted after a minute of stammering.

Anya took a daring step forward, putting herself right up against Ryland as she said, "I also said he was cute." in such a way that made Ryland's eyes narrow.

"Yeah well...you also refer to Florence and Charlotte as cute. And puppies and kittens. The Texas Longhorn can't be compared to a kitten or Charlotte." Ryland replied, eagerly accepting her challenge.

"No you're right," she allowed, biting her bottom lip. "he is so much...rougher than that. He's more of a lion or maybe a wolf. So cute isn't the right word then...huh...he's more...hot...sexy...mysterious...alluring..._large_..." The spin she put on the word large made Rylnad come up short of an answer. Thinking she'd won, Anya giggled a little.

"There he is," Ryland said seriously, looking over her head.

"Oh c'mon, Rye, just admit that you're je..."

"No I'm serious," Ryland grabbed her chin and turned her face to see Dr. Kimble enter the park. Anya got serious again, forgetting the flirtatious game she was just enjoying and getting back down to business.

"Doctor Kimble?" Anya asked, approaching the weary looking older man. Ryland was right beside her and they stopped a few paces away, looking over the man before them. He didn't look much like a doctor anymore, clutching a chess board to his chest like a lifeline, his golden eyes scanning the park cautiously- flitting from person to person and thing to thing as if they were all immediate threats. He was scruffy too and his shirt had moth holes all over it. He reminded Anya of Ted the homeless guy outside Next Gen.

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Dr. Kimble replied slowly, his beady eyes landing on Anya's for a split second before flitting to Landon's and then back around the park.

"No there's no mistake." Ryland said equally as slowly. Ryland always had a way of talking to people, especially those who were skittish or afraid. Everyone always said he should've become a hostage negotiator because he just had a way of calming everyone down and getting his point across without coming off as forceful or scary. He was the same way with kids and adults alike. Every time they visited an orphanage the kids loved Ryland and every time they volunteered at homeless shelters he got every single person to smile. It was a gift like no other. But even Ryland couldn't calm down Dr. Kimble.

"It's about Sarah Wright." Anya added and Dr. Kimble's eyes flew back to hers, getting even more fearful. "She's dead."

And that's what set Dr. Kimble off. He started panicking, his breathing coming in short gasps and he repeatedly ran his hands through his hair, fidgeting like he wanted to run but didn't know where to go. "If they can get to her then they can get to me!" he mumbled, starting to pace a little. Anya took a step back, unsure of how to respond so Ryland stepped up.

"Who can get to you?" Ryland asked calmly, ducking his head a little to try and make eye contact but Dr. Kimble wasn't paying attention enough to return the gesture.

"It's not safe! We need to get out of here!" he chanted, finally picking a place and running. Anya and Ryland took off after him, following him to the nearest exit. "We need to leave! We need to get out of here!"

"Our car is over here," Ryland said, pointing to the Lexus. Dr. Kimble eyed up the vehicle apprehensively before running towards it. Anya and Ryland shared a loaded glance before rushing after him and climbing inside. In the backseat Dr. Kimble sat in the middle, all three seat belts around him. If it weren't so disconcerting Rylnad would've laughed as he too buckled into the passenger seat.

"Take me to Pier 32." Dr. Kimble requested and before Anya could reply he said it three more times. So Anya buckled in and started the car, throwing it into gear and pulling onto the street. She headed towards Pier 32 but had no idea why, so Ryland cocked himself sideways in his seat so he could better talk to Dr. Kimble.

"Who are you so afraid of..." Ryland started to ask but Dr. Kimble cut him off.

"Who killed Sarah? Who killed her?" he asked, his eyes almost getting glossy with tears.

"The same man who's trying to pull off _Echo_." Anya said as she drove to the pier. In the back seat Dr. Kimble's state got even worse and he started mumbling to himself. Ryland kept asking what was happening, what was wrong, but Dr. Kimble refused to say anything else until they got to the pier. But soon enough Anya pulled over and threw the car in park, turning in her seat to talk to the hysterical man in her backseat.

"Alright," she said seriously, a little fed up with his mumbling. "We're here now talk."

"Why'd you fake your own death?" Ryland asked, trying to satisfy his own personal curiosity.

Dr. Kimble let out a long exasperated sigh, rolling his head as he did so. "I brought down nations for S.H.I.E.L.D. I played god but what my linchpin theory didn't- couldn't- factor in was human cost. I knew they'd never let me leave so I died...and was reborn."

"And the only one who knew was Sarah Wright?" Ryland guessed, earning a nod from Dr. Kimble.

"She was my lifeline." Dr. Kimble said solemnly. "She would toss consulting jobs my way. I helped reduce cholera in Africa. I predicted that a lone act of civil disobedience would trigger an uprising and remake the Arab world. I did good things."

"What is Echo?" Anya asked, getting back to the case at hand. As much as she wanted to let Ryland calm Dr. Kimble down and reassure him and work that creepy calming magic, she needed answer right away.

"Its the name of a white paper I wrote." he replied, finally getting serious again. "I was hired by a think-tank to find discrepancies in US security so they could be dealt with and we'd all be protected. What I found was an...alarming vulnerability that was tied to the economy; a linchpin that would cause crises beyond anything we could ever imagine. The dominoes would just never stop falling."

"Sarah steered you towards the gig?" Ryland guessed, again earning a nod from Dr. Kimble.

"I asked her to follow up with the think-tank but they don't exist! Whoever they are I gave them the blueprint that will take down our country as we know it." Dr. Kimble said seriously, giving them both a serious expression before something else caught his eye out the window. While Anya and Ryland looked at each other Dr. Kimble leaned to the side, looking up and out his window.

"Doctor Kimble," Anya said seriously, snapping her fingers to get his attention. "What is the linchpin?"

Dr. Kimble looked as if he were about to answer but then he stopped. He looked around the car as if he'd heard something then started scrambling to get the door open. "We need to get inside! Get inside now!" he called as he flung open the car door and launched himself out of the SUV. Anya and Ryland exchanged a serious look before throwing their doors open and following Dr. Kimble. But they only got two steps out of the car before the distinct sound of a riffle sounded and Dr. Kimble dropped to his knees.

Neither of them had a chance to react before tires screeched behind them and a different SUV pulled up. The back window rolled down and the tip of an automatic pistol appeared. Ryland and Anya grabbed each other and ran, pushing one another out of the way as they ducked behind her Lexus for cover. They both hid behind the driver side door as a shower of bullets washed over the car. It was just a matter of time before one of those bullets hit them or blew the engine so Anya looked over at Ryland with concern. He nodded once.

So Anya threw open the door the same time Ryland threw open the backseat door. They both crawled inside, their doors closing just in time for Anya to throw the SUV into drive and hit the gas. There was no place to go but the river so that's where they plunged. They were both panicking and yelling as bullets chased her Lexus to the edge of the pier.

XXX

Anya blacked out for a minute but when she came to, she was quick to remember all that had happened. She looked around at the water pouring into the car around them and at how quickly they were sinking. Her headlights got cut out when they hit the water so she couldn't tell how far down they already sank but from the amount of water around her they'd been in the water long enough for the situation to get very, very serious.

"Oh thank God," She heard Ryland mumble and she turned to face him. "You blacked out on me for a minute there, I thought I was gonna have to carry you up to the top."

Anya wanted to smile at him but she couldn't. She physically couldn't smile as panic and dread consumed her. Seeing the wall of anxiety welling up inside of her, Ryland quickly reached for her. "It's alright," he promised, grabbing her hands. "Everything's gonna be fine, Ace. Let's work on getting out of here though, okay?"

Anya managed to pull herself together long enough to start yanking heavily on her seat belt. "It's jammed," she cried, pulling and thrashing against the restraint. It was too tight for her to wiggle out of and no matter how hard she pulled it wouldn't come undone.

"Okay...do you have a knife?" Ryland asked calmly. Anya nodded, pointing to the backseat and telling him her knife was in her backpack along with her gun. So Ryland went for it but he didn't see her backpack. So he held his breath and went underwater, hoping to find it under the seat.

"Find it?" Anya called out as the water quickly rose around her. It was just about her collar bone when Ryland resurfaced from the water.

"No, I can't find it." he said frustratedly as he continued to search. He hopped to the very back seat and searched in the trunk, desperately searching for either of their bags. Finally he found his wedged under the very back seat. He pulled on it but it was stuck so he pulled harder and harder until he had to come up for air.

"Ryland!" Anya yelped just as the water was reaching her chin. "Get out of here! Get up to the surface!"

Ryland almost chuckled as he said, "Like I'm gonna leave you here!" before diving under again. He used all of his strength to pull on the backpack but it just wasn't budging. He felt the fabric tear a little but that was all. He struggled a minute longer before coming back up for a breath of air. There was very little left in the car, especially at the back end so he had to lay his face flat against the ceiling in order to grasp a final gulp of air.

"Ryland, get out of here now!" Anya screamed as she tilted her head back, trying to avoid the water entering her mouth as long as possible. "Don't be an idiot you need to leave! Get out of here now! Go!"

"No time to be a hero, darlin'. You are not dying for this cause." Ryland snapped before going back under water. He grabbed the backpack and pulled enough for it to rip open. Some of the contents flew out and he searched for his knife or his gun.

"Ryland! Ryland!" Silence was Anya's only reply as the water crawled up her neck and made her ears pop. She sucked in a final breath, letting her final words be, "Ryland!"

* * *

Author's Note: Mwahaha cliffy! Don't worry I'll be back in 3-5 days to give your hearts a rest and figure out what happened ;) But in the meantime, you can check out my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set from this chapter titled Linchpin: Eight

Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I was going to post this last night but I'm still reeling after the Castle season finale so I postponed till today. And I knew I was going to be an even bigger mess after the NCIS season finale tonight so I'm posting now to spare you my mess ;)

**Review Reviews:**

**lostwithoutahome: **Thanks! Yes that episode of Castle did inspire this story. I'm not too great at coming up with mysteries and I thought that story would lend to this story so well I'm borrowing it ;)

**Alex: **Castle is an amazing show I'm glad I found it! Thanks :)

**kimbee: **Oh man that is an amazing pun wow. HAHA! Yeah sure...bummed...that's right haha

**discordchick: **Thank! We mourn the loss of a beautiful Lexus :(

**jeffhardyfan93: **Teasing is the most fun! Besides, without the teasing, their relationship would be made up entirely of longing glances, touchy-feely moments and cute smiles. They need to tease each other if just to break up the love fest ;)

**maggie: **Thank you :)

**Morgan: **I hope you like it!

**Jenna: **I'd never kill a main character, but I love cliffhangers ;)

**BlueBanshee: **Anya definitely has a bit of her mama in her ;) I'm glad you liked it!

**M3v3rm0r311949: **Here you go!

**purplebutterflies: **Castle is the best!

**Sasha: **As much as I love fluff, a small part of me loves throwing main characters around, beating them up and putting them in danger lol intensity is almost as good as fluffy, in my book. Nothing's ever easy when you're parents are Avengers ;)

**Emrys90: **I love it! When you first came up with it it took me a shamefully long time to realize it was a ship name and you hadn't accidentally spelled Iceland wrong :p haha

**GhostGlowLight: **Oh they've got plenty on their plates :)

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **That's actually a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet but it absolutely sounds like something Thor would say LOL. Not weird, really cool you noticed that! That's fine, I appreciate you reading anyway :)

I'm no Joss Whedon (which is why Anya and Ryland aren't dead LOL) and I'm not a published author. In fact I'm just an 18 year old girl from a small city who works part time at a bakery and has seen the Avengers well over 22 times. Writing is my greatest passion and the best emotional outlet I've ever found. But again, I'm not a famous author or superstar. So it really, really means a lot to me that every one of you has taken your time to read my stories. Seriously. There's probably a million better things you should be doing, but I appreciate your dedication and patients. I've never felt more loved by a group of strangers than when I started these stories. So thank you a million times!

Enjoy!

* * *

"You're gonna need a new car." Ryland mumbled. Anya could've slapped him upside the head but at the same time she really just wanted to hug hum. She wanted to thank him for not leaving when she started screaming for him to. She wanted to kiss him for using every last bit of air he had in cutting her out of her seat belt and hoisting her to the surface of the water. She wanted nothing more than to just be thankful for him, but instead she made a quip about him paying for the damages.

"You're gonna need a whole hell of a lot more than just a new car." Tony's voice came from behind them, loud and angry, and so they both winced. Ryland was the first to turn and see his father marching down the pier accompanied by Pepper, Natasha and Clint. "Like for instance a damn good explanation as to why there's a dead body over there and your car is at the bottom of the river...?"

Ryland and Anya shrugged lamely, exchanging looks. "It's complicated." Anya muttered, folding her arms across her chest and avoiding eye contact. Her hair was still a little wet and a mess of curls and her shoes were full of water. Luckily an EMT gave her some black sweats to wear for the time being but that didn't make her feel any better seeing as everything she had underneath the oversized sweats was soaking wet.

"Well that is fairly obvious." Natasha retorted exasperatedly, heads on her hips. "What were you two even doing here? And how do you know that man?"

"...We can't really...tell you..." Ryland mumbled, studying a grouping of rocks around his feet.

Clint sighed a real tired sound, causing Anya to look up and see the worry in his big blue eyes. "Alright, kiddo, you gotta give me something." he said directly to her. "Is this what you two have been up to lately? The impromptu trip to Jersey, the secretiveness and the never being around? It was all this?"

Anya and Ryland nodded enigmatically.

"Is it Next Gen related?" Natasha asked from her place beside Clint. As much as she wanted to wrap her arms around Anya and never let her go, she needed some answers first.

"Sorta...it's S.H.I.E.L.D. related." Anya said slowly, looking between both of her parents cautiously.

"Fury tasked us with a mission and specifically told us not to tell anyone. Not you guys, no one at S.H.I.E.L.D. and especially outside friends." Ryland added. The look that crossed Natasha's face meant she understood well enough. But her posture also meant she was anything but okay with the situation.

"This is really important." Anya cut in, stepping up to her mother. "We're talking national security, millions of lives at stake here. If it weren't so important...if there was any wiggle room at all, we would've told you. I swear we would've told you if we could. We just...couldn't risk it."

Clint ran a hand down his face, trying to smooth his expression and his worries at the same time. "Well I can't argue with that." he said, directing his comment to Natasha who had to agree. "Lord knows we've both taken an ass full of missions we weren't ever allowed to speak of."

"Well I haven't!" Tony snapped. "And I'm not okay with this. You could've died! Both of you could've drowned to death in that car. Is that even registering with you?"

"Of course it is, Dad." Ryland replied. "We were in that car when it hit the water and sank like...well like a car. Our lives flashed before our eyes just as they did yours; we're all affected by this. But we're okay now." Ryland looped his arms around Anya if just to prove they were both okay.

"Ryland..." was all Pepper could manage to get out before she choked back a sob. "You're our boy...you're our only boy. You're our world."

"I know, Mom," Ryland let go of Anya and traded for his mother, wrapping her up in a tight hug. "I would give anything not to put you in this position but you have to let..."

Ryland didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Tony cut in. "I swore to never hit you, Ryland, but if you tell me to let go of you...I swear to God I will throw you down."

It was a thinly veiled threat but the emotions Tony was feeling were very real. Ryland just reached to his father, grabbing him in a tight hug, whispering, "I'm okay, Dad. I'm right here. I'm fine." close to his father's ear. Tony choked back his own sob, gripping Ryland even tighter.

"Is it finished?" Natasha asked quietly a minute later. "Is your mission completed?"

Ryland pulled away from his dad and joined Anya's side again, throwing her a glance. "No," Anya regretfully replied. "far from it. We still have a lot to do and I get the feeling the stakes are only gonna get higher."

"Maybe if we talk to Fury he'll read us in." Clint suggested. "We can do this as a team."

Anya sort of grimaced. "I don't know," she grumbled, making a face. "as much as your expertise would help exponentially...I don't quite think Fury is gonna want more people in on this case."

"Especially seeing as we're technically not apart of it ourselves any more..." Ryland added slowly, also making a face.

Natasha was about to ask what the hell that meant when a black car pulled up behind them, squealing the tires. They all turned, throwing up their hands to shield their eyes from the headlights. The unmistakable shadow of Director Fury stepped from the vehicle and Anya cursed under her breath.

"I trust that any information that pertains to this investigation are still a closely..." Fury started to say as he approached the group.

"Yeah you still got our kids lying to us." Tony snapped, butting in on the conversation and earning himself a eyebrow raise from Fury. But Fury didn't waste any time at all before pointing to Ryland and Anya and gesturing for them to follow him to the black car. The two exchanged glances and when they looked back Fury was already in the car with the door shut.

"I promise we'll be careful." Anya promised her mother as they hugged. Natasha wrapped her arms around Anya's waist in a vice like grip. The agent inside her was so proud of Anya, but the mother just wanted her baby safe and okay. She knew she would never have it both way so she trusted Anya to pick a side and stick to it. Natasha just prayed it wasn't the losing side.

"And we'll call to let you know we're okay." Ryland swore as he hugged Pepper once more. He gave his father a quick hug as well before rushing to the car.

Anya gave her dad a good squeeze too, one that lasted a second too long but a minute too short, before heading alongside Ryland. But she stopped short and turned back to her parents. "Can you not tell Irina?" she asked quietly. "I want her to hear directly from me what's going on. But I don't want her to worry unnecessarily."

"She isn't going to be happy." Natasha said wearily. Of all the possible outcomes, she was hoping for the best wherein a crises was averted, Ryland and Anya came home safe, and none of it affected Anya's relationship with Irina. But Natasha just couldn't see all of that happening. So she added, "We'll leave it up to you, but you better tell her soon. The longer you draw out the lies the harder they are to spill."

XXX

"I don't even want an explanation." Fury snapped, both his hands on his hips as he stood beside agent Shaw and in front of Ryland and Anya inside a Next Generation conference room. He hadn't said a damn word the entire car ride back to the headquarters or during the twelve minute elevator ride down. At the time both Anya and Rylnad were wishing he'd just talk, but once he started they both wished he'd just kept quite the whole time.

"Just tell us what you found." he said with such an exasperated sigh Anya felt it rustle her hair even as she sat a whole conference table's length away from him. In that moment she remembered what a rock Director Fury was. The man was tasked with running and maintaining the worlds greatest covert agency- not to mention a handful of freaks that would rather marry and have babies than don their costumes and fight crime these days. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders and yet he was still standing. Lesser man would- and have- fallen under that kind of pressure but Fury stood tall; and for that alone, Anya had respect for him. His dry sense of humor or wardrobe choices were also favorites of hers. But his harsh rules and enigmatic personality were thorns in her side.

"We figured out the code Doctor Kimble used in his phone call to Sarah Wright." Ryland started out. "He used the chess moves to specify a place and time for them to meet- Brooklyn Bridge Park this evening. Anya and I went there in hopes of meeting up with him and getting some answers. When he showed up he was unaware Sarah Wright had been killed so we informed him of her murder..."

"And at which time," Anya cut in. "he began panicking and acting real skittish. He requested we drive him to Pier 31 and told us he'd only talk once we were there. He kept saying 'they were coming' and that if they got to Sarah they could also get to him"

"Who are they?" Agent Shaw asked, folding her arms over her chest. She was a tall and powerful woman in a serious suit that pulled tightly over the tight cords of muscle around her arms. Her hair was a straight bob but with an angular style to combat the softness of her jawline. Even though she was already Director Fury's height, she wore a pair of stilettos that set her easily above six foot tall. Ryland thought she might be really pretty if she softened herself up a bit and maybe smiled. But that seemed highly unlikely.

"We don't know," Ryland replied. "He never told us. But he did say he was hired by a think-tank to find discrepancies in US security however that think-tank doesn't exist and he basically handed over blueprints on how to take down this country to a group of terrorists."

"But in his defense," Anya added. "before this, he was doing great work. He was helping people in a way he felt was right, instead of working for S.H.I.E.L.D. taking down entire..."

Director Fury cut off Anya with a serious facial expression. "Who killed him?" he asked, the look in his eyes suggesting Ryland be the one to answer and Anya shut up for a minute. As much as she wanted to answer, she let Ryland do the talking if just so the Director wouldn't leap across the table and strangle her- like he seemed to really want to.

"We have no idea," Ryland said seriously. "but I'm guessing it was the same lovely people who helped guide our car into the river." The sarcasm Ryland used wasn't lost on anyone and if the situation were different it might have gotten some smiles.

"So basically," Director Fury summarized, running a hand down his face. "Doctor Kimble created something like blueprints on how to destroy this country, accidentally handed them over to the bad guys, who somehow got one of our agents to flip, and now they are all trying to take down the US together and killing anyone that gets in the way. Right?"

Anya and Ryland shared a look before nodding lamely. Director Fury looked like he wanted to bang his head against the table but instead sighed and stood up straighter. "Well that's as far as we're gonna get tonight." he said with the heaviest of all expressions. "Go home and get cleaned up, you two. These guys have a plan and it's up to us to block their way. But in order for us to do so we gotta know where to stand."

"We're back on the case?" Anya asked hopefully. Director Fury just gave her a look and something of a half-smile before exiting the conference room.

"I've got a team of guys working on an address for Doctor Kimble." Agent Shaw said, crossing her arms over her chest and studying all the evidence they had laid out on the LED table.

"If he went through all the trouble of faking his death, I don't think he'll be an easy man to find." Ryland said as he cracked his neck. Whiplash and exhaustion were fighting him hard and currently he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, even if he had to lay on top of the conference table.

"He must've played at that park regularly or else he wouldn't have suggested he meet Sarah there." Agent Shaw replied thoughtfully as she poured over the case notes on the plasma. "Even if he didn't talk to anyone in particular, maybe someone saw him there- saw which way he entered or left. Maybe even someone who noticed a specific coffee brand in his hand every day or a bagel bag from a shop near his apartment."

"Grasping at straws," Anya noted as she stood up and cracked her back. Agent Shaw shot her a look, her vaguely Middle Eastern beauty fading into hard lines and an expression alone that could probably kill.

"Yes I am," she said harshly. "because these straws are all we have right now and the lives of millions count on them being grasped."

Call it the extreme tiredness, but Ryland had to cover his mouth from chuckling at what he saw as a dirty comment. His mind did tend to hit the gutter when he got tired. But he knew enough not to let Agent Shaw see his good humor so he stood up with a cough, covering himself somewhat smoothly. He grabbed Anya's shoulders and steered her towards the exit. Agent Shaw made some comment about them going home while she grasped at straws all night but Ryland ignored her and kept pushing Anya towards the elevator.

He got an earful on the elevator ride up to the warehouse and as he hailed a cab Anya continued to yap about, "Where does Agent Shaw get off being pissed at us? We did all the work for her" and she even threw in a, "Where was she when we were nearly drowning or getting locked in the trunk of a car?"

Ryland didn't reply or talk back, just let her complain and moan until he literally couldn't stay upright anymore. He finally caved to his own tiredness and laid his head down in Anya's lap. "I hope you don't mind," Ryland said in a slur of sleepy syllables. "me using you as a pillow. Your legs look very comfortable and I don't think I can sit up again."

Anya chuckled a little, letting herself relax after the shock of him just falling face first into her lap. "It's alright," she told him as he closed his eyes and relaxed even further. "I'll wake you when we get home."

"M'kay, thanks." Ryland grumbled with a yawn before turning to face her stomach. He looked so much like a little kid for a minute, curled up in the backseat with his legs drawn up so he could fit. Anya remembered the one time when they were preteens and they stayed up all night cramming for finals. It was Ryland's last year before high school and Anya was struggling to get her grades in check before graduation because, despite getting straight A's, her attendance was all over the place so certain things went unaccounted for and she had to make up a lot. They made it until four am before passing out on the couch together, using each other as pillows and a Captain America blanket as a fort around them to block the sun coming through the massive window wall. They were both much smaller then and fit on the couch better, but Anya didn't quite mind being squished against the car door. Hell, it was even kind of nice.

After the day they'd had, it was nice to be reminded of his presence. He was the weight that often kept her grounded. And even though the watch on her wrist was his way of keeping her on the ground, his head in her lap was also doing a fine job. So Anya ran her fingers through his hair, playing with the pieces that stood up in different directions and twirling them around her fingers until they almost curled. Ryland made a sleepy sound of pleasure in the back of his throat, snuggling a little closer to her. So she kept her hand there on his head as she sunk down in the seat, ready to at least closer her eyes as well.

* * *

Author's Note: Everyone pretty much predicted that Clint and Pepper would flip their shit so I decided to switch it up and have Pepper and Tony as the worry warts if just because it was different- and it made sense to me (Clint and Natasha have been here, done this, before. They are no stranger to 'top secret'. However Tony...well he doesn't have the best track record with that. I mean hell, they told him to tell the press Iron Man was a body guard and instead he just straight up tells it as is "I am Iron Man" lol)

There is no Polyvore set for this chapter because they both look like drowned rats in over-sized EMT sweats :)

Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I have no excuse as to why this too me so long to post lol I literally just forgot somehow. When I reached the 3 day mark I thought to myself "Time to post chapter ten" then just...didn't o.O lol

**Review Reviews:**

**Morgan: **Thanks :) More fluff in this chapter too!

**maggie: **Thanks! That was my favorite scene too :)

**jeffhardyfan93: **Haha that good! In a story like this you never know who's telling the truth and who's lying through their teeth.

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Wow. Well I can confidently say that won't happen lol I've only ever ended one story halfway through but I gave more explanation that that at least haha More fluff on its way! LOL glad I can amuse :)

**kimbee: **Thanks :) I thought it made sense too and it was nice to deviate from what everyone automatically expected. NCIS killed me- as did Castle and NCIS: LA- I'm just a mess right now haha

**Emrys90: **Thanks! Always felt like Fury was a misunderstood character. In most Fanfiction I've read he's portrayed as this evil dictator who hates everyone and never smiles. However Movie Marvel Fury is sassy and, I think, a crazy dedicated man. Basically I wanted to find the happy medium that Marvel found between head of a government agency, and sass-master ;) I actually wrote that scene before seeing Iron Man 3 so after leaving the theater I gave myself a little pat on the back for predicting Tony's mental state is messed up hahaha :p I'm guessing sounding 20-22 is a good thing lol

**discordchick: **She's an interesting character, Shaw, and hopefully I'll find the right way to portray her.

**GhostGlowLight: **The family is pretty much entirely in the loop now (except for some of the kids) so that should make for some interesting times ;)

**and this remains: **I sent you a message in reply to your review, in case you missed it. But again, thank you for the constructive criticism and I hope you keep reading and review again :)

**Sasha: **Thank you for the kind words. Everyone has their opinions and views as well as their critiques, and though we might not all agree with them it's important to hear every now and then- if just to mature and grow from them. Readers are reflections of their favorite writers, so I'm just grateful I have such passionate and smart readers :) Thanks! I wanted to deviate from what everyone already assumed would happen but it wound up working perfectly. Fury and his decisions intrigue me lol I understood perfectly. And thank you :)

This chapter is pretty fluffy and un-mission related, if just cause I wanted to break up the intensity and show a little family time. We're picking up almost right where we left off in the last chapter after Ryland fell asleep in the cab.

Enjoy!

* * *

Anya's eyes fluttered open as she slowly woke up. First she registered a bright light directly in her eyes. Then she registered a kink in her neck that traveled almost the entire length of her spine, making just about any position uncomfortable. And lastly she noticed the sturdiness of the pillow she was using and the familiar aroma of it.

"Guess we didn't make it _all_ the way home." she mumbled with a sleepy chuckle as she struggled upright on the couch, Ryland following suit and sitting up beside her. "Sorry I used you as a pillow."

Ryland shrugged nonchalantly as he cracked his neck. "No problem. I used your lap as a pillow for a bit last night so I'd say we're even."

They both tried to stretch out the soreness in their bones. The impact of their car hitting the water gave them both whiplash and the stress of it all gave Anya a headache. Her rumbling stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since her late breakfast/lunch the day before. So she scrambled off the couch, reaching out to pull Ryland up as well. The communal level of the tower where Anya and Ryland had fallen asleep was empty so they had the kitchen to themselves. Ryland set out to make pancakes with Nutella on top and Anya sat on the island entertaining him while he worked.

Ryland was just polishing off his tenth pancake when wind kicked up outside causing the windows to rattle. All too used to the clatter and boom that followed the gust of wind, Anya and Ryland got half excited, half anxious. They impatiently waited for the elevator to ding, their entire family pouring out into the communal level, talking loudly. It was no surprise after the events last night that Thor and the family were called home. Though Irina and the twins still didn't know what happened, Tony called Thor late in the night with the news. Though he swore Ryland and Anya were fine, Thor insisted on coming home at once. Dahlia was more than happy to get back to earth, though the circumstances could've been better.

They didn't talk about or discuss what had happened or the ramifications. Even though the air was sort of tense, they carried on with their day like nothing had happened and Thor just planed on coming home early for no reason. Jane did hold them each a little longer than usual when she gave Ryland and Anya welcoming hugs. Dahlia kept a keen eye on both of them, watching carefully for anything and everything. As worried as she was, she trusted the two of them to let the family know if this was serious. So instead of trying to ask Anya about the missions, she asked her about Ryland.

Immediately Anya rolled her eyes, falling backwards onto her bed where she sat beside Dahlia later in the day. She chuckled even as she sighed, covering her face with a throw pillow hoping maybe if Dahlia couldn't see her she'd stop talking. "C'mon now you knew it was coming!" Dahlia said with a chuckle, pulling on the pillow until she could see Anya again. "I miss things when I go home so it's up to you to fill me in. Go, go! Tell me everything."

Anya grumbled something under her breath as she sat up. "Not much," she lied. Dahlia shot her a look so Anya sighed again. "I don't know what you want me to say, Lia."

"Tell me what's been going on!" Dahlia all but snapped, pushing Anya's shoulder. "So you and Rye are partners?" Anya nodded, biting her bottom lip. "How's that going?"

Anya rolled one shoulder so Dahlia gave her a minute to find the right words. "It's going well, I suppose."

"You don't sound very convincing."

"I mean we're figuring this whole mess out." Anya started slowly, absently biting her finger nail. "This case is really confusing but we're working it out and we're doing really well I think."

"...But?"

"But..." Anya paused a second before grabbing a pillow and scrunching it up in her lap, giving her hands something to do. "We keep having these weird moments."

"Define weird." Dahlia said, almost chuckling but Anya looked really confused so she refrained.

"You know how Ryland gets, he invades your space. He gets so close sometimes and usually it's not _that_ big of a deal but since we started this mission together...it seems like every time I turn to look at him he's so close our noses almost touch. And what's even worse is that...every time we're that close...I just can't help but take a peek down at his lips. That sounds so ridiculous out loud! But I swear I have no control over it, Lia. I'll look over at him, fully intending on looking him in the eyes, than my eyes will just flit down to his lips for just a second before I reign myself in."

Dahlia was trying so hard no to squeal and get excited. Anya was obviously worried and a tad freaked out by her own reaction, but Dahlia was over the moon. So she had some trouble stiffing her smile as she said, "They do that all the time in books and movies. When the main characters like each other, they always stare at each others lips."

Anya let out a little giggle before covering her face in a pillow and falling face first in the bed. "You're not helping! Besides, Ryland doesn't do it, it's just me."

"Sure you're the one looking at his lips but that boy checks you out all the time." Dahlia replied, causing Anya to sit upright again. "He watches you like a hawk. I mean we all know Ryland's a starer and a watcher; but he's always got his eye on you. Even when he's doing something else like watching TV or working, he's always got one eye on you. Sometimes he's watching cause you're doing something funny, or sometimes cause you're doing something cute. Every now and then I notice him watching you with a sort of frustration even I can't define. He was watching you this morning too."

"How was he watching me today?" Anya asked, trying not to sound as intense as she felt.

Dahlia giggled a little before saying, "Oh he was checking you out." and making Anya throw her face down to the bed again. "Sure he was smiling when Dad picked you up or when Pepper mentioned you two slept on the couch. But when you were trying to find your cell phone in the couch cushions, his eyes were all over your ass."

Anya made a noise caught somewhere between a giggle and a groan as she flailed her arms all about frustratedly. When she sat up again she was overwhelmed by the realization of how much she missed Dahlia while she was in Asgard. So she started talking and talking and talking. She told Dahlia all about the car ride to Jersey and how Ryland kept cracking jokes to lighten the mood- most of which were sexual or self-deprecating in some way. And then about how they got locked in the trunk and how Ryland was ready to shield her from a hale of bullets if that were the case. At the time of the incident Anya was too busy freaking out to realize the implications of that, but saying it out loud to Dahlia it sank into the pit of her stomach.

Anya kept telling story after story all the while Dahlia eagerly sat on the bed beside her, hands propped up on her knees as she rested her chin on her knuckles. When Anya told her about getting thrown off the case Dahlia wasn't surprised at all that Ryland knew to give Anya space to clear her mind at the gym, but she got a butterfly feeling in her stomach as Anya told her about how they spared while working on the case. Dahlia wasn't much of a trainer or a fighter (more an eater and a watcher) but she always loved the way Ryland and Anya went at it at the gym the way Clint and Natasha did.

"I'm almost 90% sure he's jealous of Brant." Anya said when she was nearing the end of her story. She'd left out almost all the mission details- only talking about her interactions with Ryland and not how they got to that point in time. "When we were at the park before the incident at the pier, he brought up how creepy Brant can be. And so I said, yeah, he's a bit weird, but he's nice."

"You didn't say nice, did you?" Dahlia teased and Anya giggled.

Shaking her head, Anya said, "I played with Rye a little, talking about how hot Brant is. I've never seen him get so red before."

Dahlia laughed, trying not to sound as pleased as she was. "I'm not gonna lie though, Ace, Brant is really smokin'. When you and Rye ride off into the sunset together, can I have Brant?"

Anya laughed even as she smacked Dahlia's shoulder hard enough to almost knock her off the bed. "Last night he fell asleep on my lap." Anya said quietly after a few minutes of silence. Dahlia got serious, the giggling having stopped. "We were both so exhausted after everything that had happened...on the car ride home...he just laid down in my lap. He was so tired I can't really hold it against him. But...he laid there facing me, asleep in seconds, and let me play with his hair." Dahlia made a little squeaking noise as her face got all dreamy. Anya had to look away to keep from making a similar face.

"I guess we didn't make it all the way home either," Anya continued softly. "Cause this morning I woke up and we were together on the couch. He used me as a pillow last night and I used him as a pillow this morning."

Dahlia made that sound again, this time covering her mouth before the entire squeak came out. "Oh, Ace," she said softly. "why are you fighting this so hard? Look at you two! You're adorable and perfect and..."

"And we were raised together." Anya cut in harshly. "We grew up together like siblings. Its practically incest, Dahlia."

Dahlia rolled her eyes dramatically. "You're not related at all and just because you were raised together doesn't mean something special can't blossom out of..." Dahlia was cut short when Anya all but growled, hopping off the bed and walking away. Dahlia just rolled onto her side, watching Anya walk to the closet. "It happens all the time!" Dahlia said loudly, compensating for Anya walking away. "My one teacher at school met her husband when she was three years old. They've been best friends ever since, practically raised together, and no one saw a damn thing wrong with them falling in love. In fact their parents used to crack jokes all the time about them one day getting married. This is no different."

"This is completely different." Anya retorted. She started riffling though her closet in search of a dress because, with the Odinson's all returned from Asgard, the whole family decided a family dinner was in order. So Tony made reservations at a fancy restaurant in the city and told everyone to dress up. Though Anya felt like sleeping the day away, she went about putting together an outfit anyway.

Dahlia threw her legs over the side of the bed, scooting until she was upright looking down the length of Anya's closet where she could see Anya riffling through dresses. "Anya look at me." she said seriously, waiting until Anya dropped a dress and looked over. "You are going to drive yourself crazy fighting this. You can push, fight, yell and scream but what you and Ryland have is real. Deny it all you want but we both know _it is real_."

Anya sucked in a deep breath, looking like she might actually start crying. Her voice cracked when she asked, "What does that mean?"

Dahlia was quiet a second before she shrugged a little, mumbling. "It means you're not gonna be happy until you've found some sort of resolution."

Anya sighed, running her hands through her hair, messing it up even more than it already was. "But," she grumbled, moving out of the closet to fall to the floor by the door. Leaning her back against the wall, Anya covered her face as she said, "what if it doesn't work?"

"Ahh," Dahlia sang, scooting off the bed to join Anya on the floor. "So that's what's really bugging you? What if you give it a shot and it doesn't work?"

"How weird will it be living with an ex?" Anya replied, looking over at Dahlia with an expression so worried and confused Dahlia just couldn't resist throwing her arm around Anya's shoulders. "What if we trying...something, and it doesn't work. Then afterward I'm supposed to just work with him and live with him and be around him 24/7 without it being weird? That'll never work! It'll screw up everything."

"Or maybe it'll go so well you'll live happily ever after." Dahlia replied, trying to brighten the mood a little. "Either way you'll never know unless you give it a shot and let yourself free of all your rules and guidelines. And besides, good or bad, this family will always be a family. You'll always have your parents and Irina, but you'll also always have me and Kellen and Mom and Dad. You'll never get rid of Steve and Mickey and the twins and Lord knows Bruce and Danni will stick to you like glue. And though it might get weird, you'll never lose Tony or Pepper either. And I have this sneaking suspicion that you'll never lose Ryland either. Even if you two go up in flames like _The Church of Company_, you'll always be best friends."

Anya was quite a long minute, mulling everything over. When she finally spoke again, it was to say, "Well we can't fix all my problems today," as she stood up and reached for Dahlia. "So how about we get ready for dinner? And tomorrow we'll work on my problems again."

Dahlia smiled as she grabbed Anya's hands. "Deal," she said as Anya pulled her upright.

XXX

Dinner reservations were for seven so everyone was supposed to gather in the garage around six thirty to figure out transportation. With 17 people all headed to the same destination, multiple cars were in order. So they brought three large SUV's to the elevator and went about figuring out who was riding along with whom.

"C'mon man why do you gotta do that?" Kellen complained as he entered the garage on Charlotte and Florence's heels. Ryland was waiting by the elevator door in black slacks, a black Alexander McQueen button up and a black vest, coupled with red wingtip brogues. His hair was even combed, though there was one pesky little hair that fell in the middle of his forehead.

"Do what?" Ryland asked innocently, looking around for what he'd done wrong.

"Why do you gotta dress like that? You're making it extremely difficult for everyone else to look half-way decent." Kellen replied. Ryland chuckled, throwing his arm around Kellen's shoulders. Even though Kellen was five years younger than Ryland, they were equal in height.

"You're not looking too bad yourself, buddy." Ryland replied, gesturing to Kellen's outfit. Kellen wasn't the most fashion forward but he wore dark brown chinos, a blue button up and a gray-ish/tan blazer. His shaggy blond hair was a bit of a mess but he'd brushed it which was more than he normally did. Kellen brushed aside Ryland's comment as he went to find a seat in one of the SUV's they were taking.

"How do I look, Rye?" Charlotte asked in a sing-song, spinning in a circle in front of him. Her and Florence were wearing similar outfits again- both in navy knee length skirts and sleeveless button up blouses. Charlotte's blouse was light blue with a white collar and her ballet flats had a blue floral design. And Florence's blouse was white with yellow polka dots and collar, and her ballet flats had a yellow floral design. Florence's black wavy hair was pulled back in a half-up-do, and Charlotte's black waves hung loosely around her shoulders like a waterfall.

Ryland made a show of approval, even clapping a little as he said, "Wow. Stunning, ladies, absolutely beautiful." with a wide smile.

"And what about Anya? How does she look?" Florence asked with a cheeky grin as she pointed over Ryland's shoulder to Anya as she made her way into the garage between Dahlia and Irina. Dahlia was simply dressed in a long coral colored boho skirt with a tied-up white short sleeve crop top and brown leather woven ballet flats. Her dirty blond hair was curled at the ends and pulled back into a braid that was no doubt Anya's doing. Beside her, Irina wore a light blue high-low dress and sparkly silver pumps, her curls bouncing with each step she took.

But Ryland only just noticed the two girls. He really _saw_ Anya.

She was wearing a coral colored bandeau A-line knee length sleeveless dress with a cream colored lace overlay along with nude peep toes that set her up a few inches. Beside Dahlia's five-foot-ten stature- even in flats- Anya looked small, but flawless nonetheless. Her strawberry blond hair fell across her shoulders in bouncing curls and upon further inspection Ryland noticed a few randomly placed small braids throughout her hair.

"Wow," Ryland breathed, raising his eyebrows. He gaped for a minute before smiling and saying, "Lovely. Absolutely lovely."

Anya blushed a real scarlet color, trying desperately to divert everyone's attention but Ryland's eyes stayed on her long after everyone else moved on. "Really," he whispered close to her ear when everyone else was distracted. "You look really wonderful. As much as I love you in giant sweats and messy curls, you look amazing all done up."

"You look pretty great yourself, Rye. You should dress up more often." Anya replied but Ryland was already shaking his head.

"Nope I can't do that." he said seriously and upon Anya's curious look, he added, "If I dress up a lot then you'll expect me to look great all the time. Then what are we gonna do when I look bad? I wouldn't want to let you down."

Anya rolled her eyes dramatically, even managing to pull out a blush from Ryland as she said. "Let's be real here, Ryland, you never look bad."

Ryland had all the time in the world to respond but he just couldn't think of a damned thing to say. He was literally speechless for a whole minute as he started at Anya with an expression caught somewhere between elation and confusion. She returned his gaze evenly, almost cocky because of the scarlet color of his neck.

"You love birds ready?" Florence chirped, appearing directly behind them. Anya smiled but Ryland grabbed Florence by the back of the neck and flung her towards the SUV. She giggled as she climbed into the car behind her sister.

"After you," Anya mumbled, trying to hide her chuckle as he climbed into the SUV in front of her. Anya wound up sandwiched between Dahlia and Ryland, Florence and Charlotte behind them. As they pulled out of the garage sunlight beat down on the car hard enough for the hood to get foggy. With the air conditioning cranked as high as possible, they made their way to the restaurant in New York evening traffic. Ryland kept shuffling around in his seat trying to get comfortable squished against the door to give Anya some room. Florence had her keen eye trained on him the whole time and started giggling quietly when he finally gave up his futile efforts and looped his arm around Anya's shoulders.

With his heavy arm across her shoulders, Anya looked over at Dahlia, knowing her best friend was loving the moment. Dahlia tried really hard not to make a big deal of it but everyone in the car was watching carefully as Ryland picked up a lose strand of her hair and twirled it around his finger absently.

When they arrived at the restaurant a swarm of paparazzi were waiting even around back. So Ryland tucked Anya under one arm and the twins under another and shuffled them into the restaurant so no one could hassle them too much. Everyone did the same, only fielding a few comments from the paps. Once inside the shelter of the restaurant they were seated immediately in a private room with a table almost as long as the one in the tower.

"Ahh I'd almost forgotten my love for Midgardian food." Thor said as he grabbed a menu and perused a minute. He really loved steaks and hamburgers and he was known to put away three helpings of french fries and Coco Cola was his lifeline when Thor was on earth. In Asgard it was more delicacies and foreign foods like bore and whatnot. As much as he enjoyed the Asgardian delicacies, sometimes Thor longed for a good burger.

So that's exactly what he got. The fancy restaurant didn't have hamburgers but Thor ordered one anyway and so the chef made one special for him. It wasn't even embarrassing anymore seeing as Thor always had an _interesting_ time ordering no matter where they went. Everyone else kept their orders simple and though Clint hated fancy restaurants he had to admit his meal was rather delicious.

"This is the first place you've taken me, Stark, that doesn't have ridiculously small portions and weird sauces." Clint said as he finished up his meal. He gestured grandly to Tony who bowed a little from his seat. "You've done well, friend."

They kept conversation light throughout dinner, avoiding anything pertaining to Anya and Ryland's mission, S.H.I.E.L.D. or the incident at the pier. Irina and the twins still didn't know what had happened and Kellen only knew a little bit. And though Anya planned on telling Irina soon, she just couldn't think of a good time. Hell, _is_ there a good time to tell your little sister you could possibly die soon?

It wasn't all that surprising that, after dinner before they all loaded into the SUV's, the team cornered Anya and Ryland. Clint, Tasha, Tony, Thor, Steve and Bruce all caught them at the exit, steering them aside so they could have a little chat without interruptions.

"You said Fury threw you off the case?" Steve asked as they huddled around the two kids. Ryland explained in a low voice that they were thrown off the case but after the incident at the pier they were reinstated and read-in last night. "So you're working with the agent who temporarily took over?"

"Agent Shaw, yeah." Anya replied, nodding.

"I've worked with her before," Natasha noted, getting a funny look on her face. "I don't entirely trust her but she gets the job done."

"Do you entirely trust anyone?" Tony quipped, earning a glare from Natasha.

"I trust myself," she replied. "I trust Clint, I trust this team, and I trust you kids. Am I happy about all of this? Hell no. Will I rip Fury a new one for tasking you with this? Abso-fucking-lutely. But for now I'm putting aside my own feelings. Cause whatever is happening is dangerous."

"You have no idea," Ryland mumbled under his breath. "But thanks for not throwing hissy fits."

Tony rolled his eyes, asking, "When have I ever?" It was a rhetorical question but everyone around him started listing off times when he'd thrown royal temper tantrums. Everyone talking at once, listing more than six times per person, it all sounded really bad. So Tony silenced them all as soon as possible by saying, "_Anyway,_" loud enough for someone behind them to turn sideways in their chair. "We're not happy and Natasha's probably going to kill someone, what else is new?"

Bruce started shuffling through the contents of his jacket pockets then, distracting Anya and Ryland from rolling their eyes at Tony. "That dead guy at the pier," Bruce said as he pulled out a piece of paper. "We ran him through the database and learned a bit about him. But since he was supposedly dead there wasn't an address on file..."

"Yeah," Steve cut in, snatching the paper from Bruce and handing it to Anya and Ryland. "So we went to the park and flashed his picture to some of the regulars. And though most of the people there only knew him by his first name, there was one chess player who said they might know where he lives."

Tony continued for Steve, adding, "We worked some magic and pulled some strings and even greased a few wheels but we got you an address. That's where Doctor Kimble lived before he died."

"We figured there had to be something important there." Clint noted, gesturing to the slip of paper with a Union Square address written down in Natasha's hand writing. It was clearly the utmost form of team work Anya had seen from the group before her in a long time. She smiled a little as she tucked the paper in Ryland's pocket and looped her arms around Clint's waist.

"Thanks guys," she said sweetly, laying her head on her father's shoulder. "It means a lot to us that you're helping out despite how unhappy you all are about this."

"Yeah well..." Bruce mumbled, scratching his head and trying to come up with the right words. He looked to the group around him for the words he couldn't think of and finally someone said,

"It's what families do."

* * *

Author's Note: It just sort of dawned on me the other day that I've had virtually no Bruce or Steve in this story at all lol Even though it's a tiny little part, I gave them a little scene cause I miss them. There's actually two sets on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for this chapter! One is all the girls outfits for dinner which is titled Linchpin: Girly Girls. Then the other is the boy's outfits which is titled Linchpin: Manly Men.

Thanks!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: What I'm currently writing is a few chapters ahead of what I'm posting so I have to keep reminding myself of what ya'll do and do not know yet. It's sort of confusing lol but I'm trying to leave everything spoiler free, so if I say something that doesn't make sense, let me know. I'm probably talking about something that hasn't happened yet haha

**Review Reviews:**

**Morgan: **Thank you for the review :)

**jeffhardyfan93: **We haven't seen much of Kellen but I like him haha That is pretty much how it works :p lol

**GhostGlowLight: **Nope hehe they aren't going to kiss for a while. However, there's some great moments between Anya and Ryland in this chapter as well as the ones to come :)

**Sasha: **I have to agree that focusing on just Anya and Ryland doesn't make sense to me either. Everyone has their opinions and you can't please everyone, I'm just glad so many of you all enjoy my writing as much as you do :) I missed some of the family dynamic of Mini-Vengers so I had to throw in a classic dinner scene. Anya is definitely inching her way closer to Ryland. It's not easy and she's still fighting it, but something is certainly brewing ;)

**N3v3rm0r11949: **Well thank you! I've got a soft spot for Dahlia and I wish I could add her to this story more.

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Awe yay! I'm glad that was your favorite! I figured we needed a little break up to the action and intensity. We'll get back to the action and stuff next but there certainly is some progression between Anya and Ryland. Of course that is _right now_ and things can change :p Without spoiling anything, I'll say there won't be a legitimate resolution (get together) for a while, but the next few chapters are key for Aceland- what happens, how they react and the conversations they have.

**kimbee: **Nooooooo NCIS is not to be believed! NOO! lol, Thank you :)

**discordchick: **No one's particularly happy about this mission but families stick together, right? And these guys are tighter then glue. Lol Dahlia ships it. Hard.

**BlueBanshee: **Without spoiling any of the fun, all I can say is there won't be anything official for a while. But the next few chapters have some really wonderful moments between them as well as some crucial steps towards "official" So even though Anya can admit her feelings to Dahlia, she can't quite tell Ryland just yet. We're getting there though ;)

**maggie: **Thank you! Baby steps, Ace, baby steps lol

This chapter is sort of short so I might upload chapter 12 sooner than usual. We'll see how quickly I can get it edited haha

Enjoy!

* * *

Irina wasn't so dense not to see something was up. The tension at dinner, the impromptu "meeting" with Anya and Ryland afterward and the fact that Tony had called home Thor. But she wasn't worried. It clearly wasn't important or else they would've told her. But that didn't really comfort her when she woke up to the sound of her parents fighting the next morning.

It wasn't sparring and it wasn't bickering, it was an argument loud enough to carry back to Irina's room all the way from the kitchen. Irina could count on both hands the amount of real fights her parents had had over the years. They fought when Anya was old enough to start school because Natasha wanted to keep her home and teacher her at the tower whereas Clint wanted her to have the quintessential first day of school. They barely talked for three days before Natasha caved and they sent Anya to school, both following behind the school bus the whole way to the school but hiding before Anya saw. They fought again two years later when it was Irina's time to start school. They'd switched sides that time and only argued for two days before Clint caved.

They once fought for two weeks straight when Anya brought home a stray cat in the 4th grade. She found him in an alley on her way home from school and decided the tower would be his new home. He was scrappy and missing one eye so Anya named him Hawkeye. Clint was all for having a pet but Natasha hated the flea ball. Eventually though, and before they'd reached an agreement about ownership, Hawkeye ran away. Anya cried for six hours straight and Natasha wished she'd just agreed to keep the damned thing or else her little girl wouldn't have been so upset.

Irina couldn't quite remember what their other fights were about, just the muffled sound of their arguing through the walls. Clint and Natasha _never_ fought in front of the girls. They bickered and bantered and trained but they never truly fought around their children. Clint once snapped at Natasha when Irina was about six. The little girl had had a terrible day and was feeling a little sick so seeing her parents anything but grossly in love set her off. As Clint and Natasha took their "discussion" back to their bedroom, Irina cried on her big sister longer than necessary.

"It's okay, Baby Bird." Anya had promised as she hugged her sister close. "Mom and Dad still love each other, I promise. Sometimes they fight because they know each other too well. But just like us, or Pepper and Tony, or Bruce and Danny, or Thor and Jane, or Steve and Mickey. They always kiss and make up. You'll see, Irina, they'll be gross and lovey-dovey again in no time."

Those same words whispered in Irina's ear again as she climbed out of bed and left her room. She was quiet as a mouse as she inched open her door and tip-toed down the hall. As much as she hated hearing them fight her curiosity got the best of her and she inched down the hall towards the kitchen.

"I trust them." Natasha said, her voice carrying down the hall to Irina as she hid from their eyes. "They are the two most level-headed kids I've ever met."

"I know that," Clint replied, his tone clearly irritated. "and I'm glad it's those two and not someone else. I trust Anya more than anyone else and over the years I think I've placed the appropriate amount of fear in Ryland for this exact situation but..."

"But it's your little girl and you're worried." Natasha finished for him. "I get it, Clint, my god do I ever understand where you're coming from. I don't want this either, Clint, but this is Anya. She's gonna do what she's gonna do and we can't stop her."

"I blame you for that stubbornness." Natasha had clearly hit Clint for that comment cause Irina heard him grunt a curse and a small struggle ensue. Irina headed back to her room to make sure they didn't catch her.

Irina knew what they were fighting about. The tension and after-dinner-meeting made sense all of a sudden. She just couldn't figure out why Anya hadn't told her. They were sisters, best friends! They told each other everything, so why would Anya keep this a secret?

She's probably embarrassed, Irina thought. How long had this been a possibility? It'd been years coming. Anya was probably still trying to figure it out herself. So Irina would give her time. When Anya was ready she'd spill the beans. The idea made Irina giggle a little as she thought more about it. She couldn't wait to get the details. Oh how excited Dahlia and Florence would be!

XXX

Anya felt infinitely better in the morning so she got up before anyone else and hit the gym to work out some of her stiffness. She had the place to herself so she let herself really feel the work out, grunting and wincing with her efforts. She was a sweaty mess by the time she was finished so she hopped in the shower before getting dressed. She did her hair, curling it perfectly before pulling it into an intricate braided bun. She called to JARVIS for the weather report and groaned loudly when the AI informed her of the 102 degree heat and 12% humidity outside. There really was no point in trying to look nice considering the heat but Anya found a floral printed bralette to put under a white tie-off crop top and paired them with cuffed jean shorts and a pair of strappy white cord wedge heels.

Fully dressed and stomach rumbling, Anya headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Upstairs Steve was teaching Charlotte how to make an omelet. So Anya placed an order and sat at the island waiting for her breakfast. Steve was a great teacher, talking slow enough to hear every word but not so slow that it felt degrading. He helped her throw together the ingredients, showing her what he liked best as well as Mickey and Florence's favorites.

Anya made a show of thanking them both when she received her meal. It was quite delicious and she let them know as she ate. "You need to teach me how to cook too, Steve." Anya said as she munched. "I have no idea how I'm going to survive on my own one day when I move out."

"If I don't teach you will you promise to never move out?" Steve asked with a smile. "Cause if so, I'm sorry I can't."

"Can't what?" Mickey asked as she joined them in the kitchen.

"Can't let Anya leave." Steve replied, tossing a piece of celery at her. She caught it in her mouth and munched on it as she went to hug him from behind.

"You can't move out," Mickey agreed after asking Steve and Charlotte for an omelet as well. "None of you kids can move out. Who's gonna take care of us all when we're old and crazy?"

Anya laughed as she finished her breakfast and put her dish in the dishwasher. "I'm gonna have enough crazy on my hands when my parents get old. But I bid Charlotte and Florence good luck."

Charlotte let out a long groan at the idea and everyone laughed. Really she wouldn't put up with her parents aging like Dahlia and Kellen wouldn't. If anything they'd have to deal with old age themselves before Steve and Thor. But Anya would have her hands full. Clint and Natasha were already nuts, old age would only make it worse. Ryland would have it pretty bad too. No one would be envious of him when he had to take care of Old Tony one day. The mental image of a wrinkly old Iron Man in a nursing home made Anya giggle pretty hard. Her laughter only got worse when Tony answered their apartment door with a grumpy, sleepy face.

"Ryland awake?" she asked as he side-stepped to let her in.

"I think so," Tony replied, rubbing his tired brown eyes. "he's still in his room, just go on up."

So that's what Anya did. Bounding up the stairs and rounding the corner to his room, she called Ryland's name. She knew better than to just burst through the door so she stood outside knocking for a minute. Eventually though the door swung open, Ryland on the other side. His usually messy hair was even wilder and he was rubbing sleep from his eyes as he stood before her just in sweatpants.

"Morning, sunshine."

"What time is it?" Ryland asked with a long yawn. He moved inside of the room, falling back into his bed as Anya entered behind him. "I went to the gym last night after we got home. As good as it felt to loosen up a bit after the accident, I'm wiped."

Anya fell onto the bed beside him, propping a few pillows behind her back so she was sitting upright. "Well suck it up cause we gotta go check out Doctor Kimble's place today."

Ryland grumbled something unintelligible with his face still buried in his sheets. "Okay fine," he mumbled, sitting up. "wait here."

Anya settled into the bed watching Ryland struggle upright. She shamelessly watched his abs flex when he stretched but instead of blushing when he caught her she just flashed him_ a __look_. He made a show of bending over to pick up his red Converse, wiggling his butt at her. She laughed out right even as she appreciated the view.

"I should've been a Chippendale." Ryland mused as he shuffled around in his closet. "I've got the six-pack."

"And the butt!" Anya added, pointing to his perfectly round little rear-end. Ryland burst into laughter, bowing graciously for the compliment. A few minutes later he emerged from the closet in blue jeans and a black tee shirt, his hair still a mess but a little more tamed.

"All set," he said as he grabbed his car keys, wallet, phone and gun. "I assume we're taking my car?"

"Well considering mine is treading water right now...yeah we're taking yours." Anya retorted. They headed out of his room and down the stairs were Pepper stopped them.

"When you get a free minute Tony and I wanna take you down to the dealership and get you a new ride." Pepper said as she stopped the kids in the living room.

"Oh no that's okay." Anya said with a smile. "I appreciate it but I wanna make S.H.I.E.L.D. pay for a new one."

Tony busted up laughing even as he shuddered a bit. "My god if you're not Tasha's kid..."

Anya laughed as she rushed to catch the elevator with Ryland. They rode down to the garage and got into Ryland's Camaro where Ryland pulled out the address the team had given them. He headed towards the Union Square address, stopping briefly for a cup of coffee at a Starbucks around the corner. He got Anya a cup as well before getting back in the car and pulling onto the busy New York streets. They were quiet a few minutes, the only sound being the engine and the dulled roar of the city passing them.

"So I was thinking," Ryland started, finally breaking the silence.

"I've heard nearly dying has that affect."

"Yes well it has had that affect on me." Ryland paused a second, peeking over at Anya from the corner of his eye. "And I guess the conclusion I've come to is...I'm glad it was you."

"What was me?" Anya asked with a raised brow.

"In the car with me. I mean I'm not glad you almost died too. What I mean is...if I'm gonna die, I want your face to be the last one I see."

Anya refrained from gasping a little as she listened to him. He looked embarrassed but Anya's smile was genuine so he kept talking.

"I mean who wouldn't want those big blue eyes to be the last thing they see?" he said with a self-conscious chuckle. "But I could've done without the wild hair. Seriously, did you see yourself after surfacing? It was like a lion's mane after rolling around the safari."

Anya laughed as she punched him hard on the arm. He laughed along with her as he grabbed her hand. Instead of pulling away she turned her hand over to lace their fingers together.

"I'm glad you were there too." she said softly, turning a tender smile his way. "I mean who wouldn't want that butt to be their last..." She let her sentence trail off, liking the sound of Ryland's laugh more than her words. She smiled at him, moving her thumb along the back of his hand.

"And while we're on the subject..." Anya mumbled after a few more minutes of silence. "I was just kidding about Brant. He's attractive, sure, but you're my partner, Rye. You're my best friend not him."

Ryland didn't say anything for a long few minutes before turning his eye to her at a red light. "Sometimes I get kind of worried." he admitted softly. "You're kinda beautiful, Ace, and I'm not the only one who notices. And I care about you. The idea of _Brant_ taking advantage of you just...makes me freak out a little."

The air between them was suddenly thick and Anya felt tension rising. He turned his eyes back to the road as Anya watched him. Slowly, she slipped her hand out from under his. He didn't make a move or even a facial expression as she did so but she saw his shoulders move a little. She couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking but it didn't seem good. He looked tense, maybe even mad, possibly hurt.

So she tried making him laugh by saying, "How do you know I wouldn't be the one taking advantage of him?" sarcastically. But it didn't work. Ryland gave a fake smile and continued to watch the road, refusing to let his emotions show. But Anya knew she'd made the wrong move.

XXX

Agent Wilson watched a car pull up outside Dr. Kimble's apartment and recognized the kids that exited. He grumbled under his breath. He thought that locking them in the trunk of Sarah Wright's car would deter them from investigating further. They were obviously green but their stubbornness and the fact that they'd already gotten so far was the mark of great agents. He had to give them their props. But they weren't _that _good. Especially considering neither was aware they were being watched- by him or the others.

Agent Wilson shifted the scope of his sniper riffle to follow them up to the apartment, first finding them picking the lock in the hallway then again inside Dr. Kimble's office/study.

With eyes so tightly trained on the building, Agent Wilson hadn't gone inside. So he used the two young agents as his eyes inside. He'd have to get to them before they left- without tipping off the others to his presence and the kid's importance. Hopefully they'd go along with it the way they had at the parking lot. He hadn't hurt them yet and though they were probably chock full of ideas as to what he's done. S.H.I.E.L.D. no doubt told them all about Agent Wilson's past, present, and not so bright future. But even if they resisted, he'd get the information he desired. It'd be the best for everyone if they cooperated but he was prepared for anything; good, bad, ugly or painful.

* * *

Author's Note: The bit about Ryland's ass and him being a Chippendale is probably my favorite Aceland interaction to date haha of course it'll get bumped to 2nd when they finally get together, but for now this is my favorite. As always you can check out a set for this chapter on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) under the title Linchpin: Eleven.

Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: I've been dealing with some terrible writers block recently so I'm not sure how these chapters are turning out. Parts of them I like and other parts I absolutely hate. I'm just not writing right lol it's so frustrating! And I'm really uninspired, I have to force myself to write. I don't know what's up but hopefully I break out of it real soon cause the mission is really heating up and so is Aceland ;)

**Review Reviews:**

**Morgan: **Thanks! I love writing humor- so many possibilities! Lol yeahhhh Anya's got a bit of my mama in her ;)

**crazyninjagirl: **Filler chapters to me mean ample opportunity to make ya'll giggle and roll your eyes at the fact that Ryland has a little too much Stark in him ;)

**jeffhardyfan93: **Hahaha, now where's the fun in sucking faces right away? The build up is the best part, even if it's driving us all crazy haha

**ThatOneAnon: **Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the romantic arc; I sometimes worry I'm dragging it on a bit too long but I believe the sword play is the sexiest part of a budding relationship. I've never mentioned Coulson in these stories (Mini-Vengers and Linchpin) cause even though I don't think he's dead, I don't want to concoct some half-baked idea as to how he survived when Joss will do so waaaaaaaay better than I (either in Avengers 2 or Agents of S.H**.**I.E.L.D.) lol Thanks again!

**GhostGlowLight: **I'm glad you liked it :)

**discordchick: **They're like little kids again, holding hands and talking about their feelings. Only this time those feelings aren't "wuv" and hugs, they're very real and very scary- especially to Anya. The whole situation with Irina is going to be interesting :)

**maggie: **I'm glad you understood Anya in that scene. I was a little worried she'd come off as cold or distant for all the wrong reasons. She just has a little bit of a harder time dealing with herself and her emotions and she's just not quite there yet. Ryland on the other hand pretty much knows what he wants just not quite sure how to get it ;) Thanks!

**kimbee: ***giggles mischievously* Anya is a complex woman. Haha, I tried to make the ending seem a bit ominous so yeah I guess it was a dun dun dunn moment :)

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **This has got to be my favorite review of all time HAHA! I'm quite jealous of these fictional characters myself ;) Even if he's not real, Ryland's got a nice little butt. And Anya knows it!

**Lollypops101: **Thanks! I'm glad you fixed that; I've had a lot of people say they've just found this story after waiting around so long. I'm just glad ya'll are putting in the effort to find it :)

**Sasha: **Anya and Irina will have to have a little talk- about everything. Thanks for picking up on that. Even if Clint and Natasha don't fight a lot, everyone has their disagreements and Avengers are just humans (mostly) too. I don't particularly like the idea of Clint and Natasha arguing but I think it adds realism. Ryland and Anya seem to always be a step out of place. One's a little far behind or the other is a step too far ahead. Hopefully they'll straighten out their path soon ;)

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **I'm glad you found the sequel and that you like it so much! I actually noticed you weren't on the list of reviewers/notifications and wondered if you'd missed the sequel. I'm glad you found it though :) Thanks!

Since the last chapter was on the shorter side I decided to upload slightly earlier than usual. Not by much since this whole writers block thing is slowing me down, but a hair earlier than planned. Hope you like it!

Enjoy!

* * *

Anya followed Ryland into Dr. Kimble's apartment, her eyes instinctively scanning the small one-bedroom for evidence as well as threats. The place was a cluttered mess but she got the feeling it all made sense to Dr. Kimble. Organized chaos in a sense- like Anya life or Irina's closet. It didn't matter that no one else understood it, so long as it made sense to Dr. Kimble that's what was important.

"Hey, Ace?" Ryland called from the adjacent room. Anya sat down the coffee cup she held and walked to join him in the study before freezing dead in her tracks. The whole room was covered in pictures, Post-it-Notes, newspaper clippings and drawings. There was red string connecting pictures to notes to paper clippings and back again. Every picture, note and clipping detailed something horrific like assassinations and the such. And at the center of the room, hanging from the ceiling fan, all the strings connected to a little piece of paper. Ryland touched in gingerly before reading it out loud in synch with Anya.

"World War Three." they said in unison, exchanging a loaded glance. Anya reached up and flicked one of the strings, hearing the sound it made and following it to an apocalyptic event. Ryland followed a different line in the opposite direction that led to an equally as fatal conclusion. They continued to follow the red string all about the room, finding more and more terrifying predictions. Dr. Kimble's psycho babble in the car slowly made more and more sense as Ryland put the pieced together in his head.

After a minute they'd followed every line but one. So they both touched the string, following it to a picture of a young Chinese girl in a school uniform. Underneath her picture Dr. Kimble wrote "linchpin" in capital letters.

"Linchpin theory," Anya mumbled as she pulled the picture down. "Knock down the right domino and they will all fall."

"Doctor Kimble said the dominoes just wouldn't stop falling." Ryland added, looking about the room. "But how could she be the first one? She's what...10? How could a ten year old girl cause all of this?" He gestured to the room and the destruction it detailed. Anya looked around the room as well, silently wondering the same thing. The events Dr. Kimble predicted were market crashes, assassinations, poverty, war and death, all leading up to a third world war. And the start of it all was the ten year old girl who looked up at Anya, happy and harmless.

"She reminds me of Charlotte." Anya mumbled as she studied the photo. "They have the same stature and infectious smile."

"She couldn't hurt a flea..." Ryland slowed his sentence to a stop when he saw a red laser dot hit the wall behind them. He immediately tackled Anya to the ground, just missing a shower of bullets by mere seconds.

They hit the ground hard, Ryland on top. Bullets pounded against the walls furiously destroying all of Dr. Kimble's evidence and predictions. Anya couldn't care too much since her own life hung in the balance but she made sure to hold on tight to the photo in her hand. It bent and formed to the shape of her hand but she held fast.

As soon as there was a lag in the firing Anya and Ryland scrambled towards the door for a quick exit. Anya made it out first and Ryland followed just as something dropping into the room through one of the shattered windows. Ryland barely had the door closed when the room lit up and the apartment shook with the force of the explosion.

"Did you get the picture?" Ryland yelled as he fell over Anya on his way to the apartment door. Anya nodded, holding up her clenched fist where the corner of the photo stuck out. Just as she was about to say something the apartment door flung open and Agent Wilson rolled inside.

"We have to get out of here right now." he called to them but Anya and Rylnad were both frozen in place, neither making a move to speak or run. Agent Wilson rolled his eyes and yelled, "Now!"

"Why should we trust you?" Ryland snapped, reaching for his gun.

"You don't have to trust me you just have to want to live. Now move your asses before they throw another bomb in here and turn you both into ash." Agent Wilson retorted. He didn't waste another second before rolling back out the door.

_What other choice do we have?_ Anya and Ryland both thought at the same time before rushing out the door behind Agent Wilson. They caught up with him at the back exit and scurried after him. He didn't stop or slow down at all as he ran out of the building and down a back alleyway to a parking garage. Anya was a step in front of Ryland a three steps behind Agent Wilson; so with a hand on the base of her spine, Ryland gave her a gentle push so she could catch up with Agent Wilson.

They ran up to a black van and Agent Wilson climbed in the back followed by Anya then Ryland who closed the door behind them. Once they were settled in the empty van Agent Wilson turned to the duo and asked, "What was in the study? What's the linchpin?"

Any scoffed as she discretely folded the photo into her pocket. "You should know...you're the one trying to kick-start Echo."

Agent Wilson set aside his assault riffle and ran a hand down his face. "No I'm not," he said seriously, looking up at Anya. "this whole mess is a direct result of me trying to stop Echo. Part of your training at S.H.I.E.L.D. is to detect problems without knowing what they are- subtle things most people would ignore. There is something wrong and I intend to figure out what it is but you got to Doctor Kimble's before me."

Anya paused but Ryland wasn't believing it for a second. "Please tell me you're not trying to plead innocent!" Ryland sapped sarcastically. "Let me guess, you were framed!" Agent Wilson got a real wild look on his face but before he could leap across the van and kill Ryland, Anya stepped in.

"Why should we believe you?" she asked calmly, trying to keep the peace as long as possible.

"Because I've done nothing to harm either of you."

"You locked us in the trunk of a car!" Ryland yelped, louder than necessary Anya placed a reassuring hand on his thigh to calm him down a bit.

"Obviously you survived." Agent Wilson retorted before looking back at Anya. "Listen, we don't have a whole lot of time. I need to know what you found out before they get here."

"Wait, who's they? Who's behind all of this?" Anya asked, leaning in closer. She hated to admit that Agent Wilson certainly had her intrigued. Though she wasn't a believer just yet, she was questioning a few things.

"Don't you see, Agent Barton? My own people are setting me up. _Our_ people- S.H.I.E.L.D. None of this could happen without someone on the inside. They want to pull of Echo and watch me take the fall for it. S.H.I.E.L.D. is behind all of this I'm just trying to stop it."

"No, no, S.H.I.E.L.D. would never plan something like this. S.H.I.E.L.D. fights for America not against her." Ryland swore, turning an eye to Anya then back to Agent Wilson.

"It will genuinely surprise you what good people will do given the right lump sum of money." Agent Wilson retorted sharply. "Now you have to tell me what the linchpin is if we're going to stop..."

Agent Wilson's sentence got cut off when the van doors suddenly flung open and a bright light blinded all three of them. "Hello, Wilson." Agent Shaw said as the lights lowered and she came into view. She directed one of the agents behind her to cuff Agent Wilson and keep him in the van while she pulled Anya and Ryland aside to say, "Agent Wilson must have a partner out there. They blew the building before we could salvage any evidence. Please tell me you got something?"

Anya looked over her shoulder and caught Agent Wilson's eye. They stared at each other for a long minute before Anya turned back to Agent Shaw and handed her the photo they saved. With Ryland's help, they explained exactly what they saw in great detail, all the while Agent Shaw studied the photo of the little girl, wondering out loud how a ten year old could bring down America.

As a tech passed by them, Agent Shaw grabbed his arm and walked along side him saying, "I want to know who she is and how a little girl is the first domino in a march towards war."

Ryland seized the opportunity to grab Anya and pull her even further away from everyone else. They both knew exactly what he was going to say but he felt the need to say it anyway. "You okay, buddy?" He ducked his head a little to look her in the eye. "Cause if I'm reading you right- and I always do- you seem to be considering the possibility that Agent Wilson isn't full of shit...?"

Anya sighed heavily as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It makes sense." she mumbled, avoiding looking over at Agent Wilson again.

"Oh c'mon, Ace, it's the oldest trick in the book."

"Yeah but if he was playing us then why'd he ask what the linchpin was?"

"He was covering himself; seeing how much we know so he can decide whether or not he has to kill us!"

"That's another thing!" Anya snapped. "If he is such a bad guy how come he hasn't hurt us yet?"

Ryland rolled his eyes dramatically as he brought up the parking lot incident once again. It was Anya's turn to roll her eyes that time. "If you remember correctly," she retorted. "he had a gun as well. So why didn't he just shoot us instead of locking us in a car with a crow bar next to us? And again today; if he was here just covering his tracks, why did he come in and save us? Why didn't he just leave us there to die along with all the evidence?"

That had clearly got Ryland thinking. He made a very specific facial expression when he was thinking- a look not so different from Tony's. He looked over his shoulder at the transit van a bunch of agents were loading Agent Wilson into. Though Anya herself wasn't entirely sure what she believed anymore, she could tell Ryland was changing his mind.

"There's no way he's pulling this off on his own. And right now I'm not ruling out the possibility..." Anya sentence got cut off when an explosion happened just outside the parking garage. All the agents inside had their guns drawn and were headed outside within seconds. They all made it outside just as the transit van blew into flames.

"What the hell happened!?" Agent Shaw asked angrily as she holstered her gun again. She turned towards the few agents who'd already been outside when the explosion went off but they all stammered through half-assed explanations. "I didn't authorize transit yet. Where were they going? Who gave them the green light?"

Ryland got that look again as he stood back and thought about each event leading up to this one. "Inside man," he mumbled, putting each piece together like a puzzle in his mind that no one else could see. Anya and Agent Shaw turned towards him having heard his mumble and intrigued by his insight. "Agent Wilson must've had a man on the inside. He told us he was being set up by S.H.I.E.L.D. Maybe he wasn't entirely lying?"

"The fall guy for his own plan?" Anya asked skeptically.

"Think about it," Ryland continued. "If everyone is too busy trying to catch him then we're not stopping _Echo_. And his fail safe, if he got caught or we got too close, was to plead innocence. If you take a step back it's easy to see where he might be telling the truth; that he might've been trying to stop _Echo_ not start it. But really he was doing neither. He was just distracting us from the person who was really kick-starting _Echo_."

"So who blew him up?" Agent Shaw asked, following every word he said with a inquisitive look.

"His partner," Anya jumped in. "the guy on the inside who has been working behind the scenes this whole time. He's the one who's really trying to start _Echo_, not Wilson. That's probably the guy who pushed my car into the drink and who broke Wilson out of our holding."

"We find that inside guy before he starts _Echo_ and we might just stop it." Ryland concluded as he looked out at the flaming car. "But if they've gotten rid of Agent Wilson that means they're gonna act fast. Really fast."

XXX

Back at Next Gen everyone was trying to figure out who the little girl was as well as who Agent Wilson's inside man was. But by that time Anya really needed some stress relief. So she went back to the locker room and changed into a pair of Nike tennis shorts, her trainers and a lose tank top. She pulled all her hair up in a messy bun-like-thing just to get it off the back of her neck then she hit the gym. She was just finished warming up when Brant walked in wearing gym clothes. He flashed a dazzling smile as he limbered up and taped his hands.

"I thought I might find you here." he said as he did a series of lunges and stretches. "After everything that happened these past few days, a good work out is probably exactly what you need." Anya turned a quizzical gaze his way, silently asking for an explanation so he said, "Oh sorry I forgot to mention I know about your mission."

Anya's jaw all but his the floor and she stammered when she tired to ask, "How? For how long? It's classified!"

Brant laughed a little as he stepped up close to her. "I was special forces, darling, classified is nothing new to me. And I've known almost the whole time. Agent Shaw said she might need me at some point but we had to keep it quiet."

Anya looked truly amazed for a minute as she slowly shook her head. "I can't believe you know."

"Are you relieved?"

"I guess," she mumbled. "part of my family just found out and they aren't real enthusiastic about it. Though they are handling it a lot better than I thought they would. It's nice having someone else on my side though."

"Well I am on your side for now but if you wanna spar I'm afraid I won't be going easy on you." Brant retorted with a mischievous grin. Anya smiled back before taking up a fight stance. Brant followed suit and they turned in a slow circle, hunting each other and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Anya got it first and took it, throwing her right arm out to distract him while she landed a swift kick to his ribs. Brant winced but quickly turned the tables, grabbing her leg and spinning her around until she was face down on the mat. He tried getting her in a submissive position but she was quick to slip from his hands, rolling away and bouncing onto her feet.

"Oh this is gonna be fun." Brant exclaimed excitedly as they returned to their fight stances. Brant saw an opening a second later and took it, throwing a punch she skilfully dodged. They continued to dance around each other, randomly throwing kicks and punches.

"So you believe Agent Wilson was innocent?" Brant asked as he landed a kick to her thigh. She went down and he quickly tackled her to the mat and pinned her down with one of her legs on his shoulder.

It took her a second to catch her breath again but when she did she said, "I believed it for a minute but Ryland thinks he was the fall guy from the start and that it was always supposed to work this way." Before he got the chance to respond, Anya kicked her leg up further and wrapped it around his neck, pushing him down into a thigh hold made famous by her mother.

Brant grabbed her thigh in both of his hands but didn't struggled out of the hold until he regained his breath. "That makes sense," he replied before slipping out from under her and jumping to his feet. "but then why would they kill him?"

Anya thought about it a minute before saying, "Because he can't take the fall if he's in custody." Almost as soon as she finished, Anya landed a double kick punch combo that brought Brant to his knees. She immediately pounced on him and got him in a rear naked choke hold. Even gasping for air, Brant didn't give up though. They struggled for a minute before he slipped free. They continued to roll around the mat grappling as they talked.

"So whoever his partner is will be the one to pull of Echo." Brant said as they fought. "And even though we don't know who that is or who the target even is, we gotta find them both right-fucking-now or else the world is gonna end in fire."

Anya managed to pin Brant but he flipped them over again almost immediately. His entire body weight pressed down on her as he pinned her down, their faces mere inches apart. Anya didn't struggled, too tired to fight it anymore, so she just locked her legs around his waist so he couldn't move.

"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice." Anya quoted perfectly, just a little out of breath.

"Robert Frost," Brant replied with sheer awe in his big green eyes. Anya smiled up at him, not even trying to slip from his arms. "Color me impressed."

"What other reason does one have to quote poetry other than to impressed a beautiful person?" Anya teased with a cheeky grin, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Brant didn't think another second before grabbing her face and kissing her hard on the lips.

Too shocked to react at first, Anya didn't kiss him back. So Brant pulled back far enough to look her in the eye but not so far away that the tension between them loosened any. Any looked up at him completely flustered and mesmerized by his big green eyes. And the next thing she knew she grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him back. When Anya pulled on the little hairs at the base of his neck Brant smiled a little, biting down on her lower lip.

Then the gymnasium door flung open and Ryland stepped in.

"_Oh shit_! I didn't realize I'd be...interrupting...anything." he yelped, flinching hard at the sight before him. Anya immediately shoved Brant off her and the two separated like shrapnel but that couldn't erase the image already burned into Ryland's mind. Having seen what he saw, Ryland grimaced as he fought an onslaught of emotions.

"Nothing...you didn't interrupt anything," Anya tried saying, stammering as she brushed hair out of her face and tried looking as comfortable as possible. Brant got the hint real quickly and rushed away, grabbing a towel and mumbling something about hearing his name as he bolted out the door Ryland held open for him. When Brant was gone, the full power of Ryland's gaze landed on Anya and she squirmed. "We were just sparring."

"Wish you'd spar with me like that."

"It was nothing," Anya turned away from Ryland's perceptive brown eyes but she could still feel his gaze on her back.

"It was a kiss." Ryland said calmly. "A rather hot kiss, might I add."

Anya hissed a sigh, grabbing a towel and wiping her face before turning to Ryland with the most insouciant expression she could manage. "I'm allowed to kiss whoever I want."

Ryland just blinked. "I'm sorry did I give you the impression I care who you kiss?"

Anya huffed in aggravation, throwing her towel into the hamper with enough force to knock the bin over. She wanted to come up with some witty response but she just couldn't think of anything. So she grabbed a water bottle and rushed to the exit hoping Ryland would have the good sense not to follow her. She had a lot to think about including a mission to finish. The last thing she needed was a cliche inner-agency love triangle between her, Ryland and Brant. She wasn't even sure she liked Brant. The sparring and the kiss were both great and he seemed like a great guy as well, but the last thing she wanted clouding her judgment was a handsome southern senior agent. Even if she wanted to kick-start something with Brant it'd have to at least wait until the mission was finished. Ryland on the other hand...that was a whole other story she didn't even want to start. Especially now.

"And by the way," Ryland mumbled before she stepped through the threshold out of the gym and into freedom. "I came here to tell you I called my dad."

Anya turned half way to face him but Ryland's back was to her. "Why?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have the right tech to find the mole or the little girl and Dad says he might be able to help. I wanted to make sure it was okay with you because I know how badly you wanted us to finish this on our own." Ryland replied slowly. He paused one second before adding, "But apparently you're bringing Brant in so it's no big deal."

Ryland made it halfway across the room, headed for the lockers opposite the door Anya stood halfway inside, but then Anya spoke up. "Brant was already on the case."

Ryland cocked his body sideways to look at her from the corner of his eye. He let his look speak volumes and Anya couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He really wasn't doing a good job of hiding his emotions anymore and they were all visible right on his face. Anya just felt more and more conflicted the longer she looked at him so she turned to leave. Ryland watched the door slam shut before he grabbed a water bottle and threw it across the room where it shattered against the door in a waterfall of Aquafina that mimicked the tears he refused to shed.

* * *

Author's Note: Another (as kimbee would say) dun dun dunn moment ;) Don't hate me too much for that end scene. I promise I've got a big picture in mind ( that involves Ryland and Anya patching things up and returning to their flirty Chippendale conversations soon) and as much as you all seem to hate Brant he's a key player in all of this. Just don't kill me ;)

There actually is no Polyvore set for this chapter since the only clothing change was Anya's work-out clothes. However I've got a whole plethora of social networking/blogging sites such as Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest as well as Polyvore all with the URL/handle/username Samitballi if any of you want to follow me there :)

Thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: I wound up rewriting most of this chapter before publishing it lol while editing I figured out I could break up the chapter better and add a flashback so that's what I did. I'm surprised I've managed to upload it in time actually but I like this version much better than the old one.

**Review Reviews:**

**discordchick: **He said Shaw brought him in on the case but it's up to you to chose what/who you believe ;) I'm glad you like it so much! I've read a few stories where the author has tried aging up the babies from a previous story and it just doesn't always work out. Whether the characters don't mature enough or mature too much, it just doesn't always feel right. So I'm so glad you like what I've done :)

**crazyninjagirl: **The use of string to connect ideas/objects is a real common thing, especially red string, but yeah it was probably used in Sherlock Holmes I think. Anya and Ryland both have pretty horrid timing don't they? lol

**Lollypops101: **Thanks! You'll have to wait and see ;)

**Avamys: **Yes the mission aspect of this story was an episode of Castle from a season or two ago that I thought would lend itself to this story really well :)

**PolkaDotMilly: **I an't wait to see if you're right ;) That's awesome that you reread it! I'm rereading Mini-Vengers teehee

**GhostGlowLight: **Lol you are the only one excited they kissed :p Ryland certainly isn't happy about this whole situation.

**maggie: **Thanks! I think we're all ready for a little Ryland and Anya love ;)

**kimbee: **I know imagining little Rye getting so upset kind of kills me :/

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **We'll see if you're right :) Thanks!

**jeffhardyfan93: **This is supposed to be one of those stories where you never know who to trust so your curiosity is good ;) And your reaction is priceless!

**KMPcool: **Thank you :)

** : **Distrust is a good thing ;) Even if Brant is hot lol Thanks! I thought that episode lent it's hand to this story well.

**KristenGall1998: **We'll have to see what turns out ;)

**Morgan: **Lol aren't we all? Thanks!

**Sasha: **Thanks! As much as I want Anya to kiss Ryland, I had fun writing her kiss with Brant. That was a big thing for Brant. In fact it was pretty huge, if I do say so myself. But Anya just isn't ready to hear him right now. She'll get there eventually though :)

The beginning of this chapter is a flashback to Rome ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

**_Rome_**_..._

"_Ryland, knock it off! Come here, stop it!" Anya chastised even as she laughed a little. She grabbed his hand and desperately pulled him away from the door he insisted on knocking upon. They were wondering down a deserted cobblestone alleyway between homes, headed to a bistro for lunch._

"_Why should I stop?" Ryland challenged as he pulled her over to another door and knocked twice before she managed to pull him away._

"_Don't go knocking on people's doors." Anya replied as if she were talking to a toddler. And like a toddler, Ryland once again asked why. "Because there's no one here."_

"_Like they're all zombies!?"_

"_Yeah, Rye, they are all zombies and knocking on their doors is just going to make them come out and eat us." Anya finally managed to get him away from the doors, leading him down some wide stairs and hopefully towards the street. She didn't bother dropping his hand even as he took wide and awkward steps, almost dancing about the alleyway like an idiot._

"_Well they would definitely eat me." he said matter-of-factly. "The smarter the brains the yummier they are."_

_It was Pepper's idea for the kids to go out on their own without the family tagging along behind nagging them. Both Anya and Ryland jumped at the chance but Irina was more for lounging around the villa for the day. So Ryland looked up the name and address of a bistro in the city that got rave reviews and the two set off alone together. However they'd been out for over an hour already and hadn't been able to find the bistro Ryland saw online._

"_Ryland, what was the name of the...?" Anya went to ask again but Ryland suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth._

"_Shhh," he whispered in her ear. She just sighed and relaxed into him as he looked around the alley. "Hear that? It sounds like growling. Or chewing."_

_Anya laughed as she slid out of his hands and kept walking. "I am going to leave you here to get eaten if you don't follow me right now." she called over her shoulder as she kept wondering down the alleyway. Ryland was a few steps behind but caught up quickly, his Converse getting caught on the raised cobblestones and making him trip a little._

"_Either way I'm gonna die in Rome this week." he chuckled as he fell into Anya. But this time she wasn't laughing, so he looked over her shoulder at her cell phone where she was searching the name of the restaurant they were headed to. "What's wrong?"_

"_We're lost," she said slowly. Ryland watched her pull up the restaurant address but neither of them really understood the system too well so even that didn't help much. So she turned to the GPS on her phone to search directions. It took a whole three minutes to calibrate but then the little screen flashed blue with a message saying unable to calibrate._

_Ryland pulled the phone from her hand, trying to fix it as he said, "It probably can't find us." He walked ahead a few paces, trying to give the GPS a better fix. They were somewhere in a back alley in Rome so naturally the GPS was confused._

"_What do you mean it can't find us? It's a GPS! They are supposed to have eyes everywhere." Anya replied, a little breathless as she struggled to keep up with him as he walked ahead._

"_Yeah well Big Brother's eye doesn't always reach the nooks and crannies of this world." Ryland replied before turning to face her, causing her to come to a sudden stop a little closer to him than she'd intended. "We just gotta get onto the main streets and we'll be fine, I promise."_

"_We don't even know where the main streets are!" Anya snapped, pushing her hair out of her face. She'd cut it right before vacation, nothing drastic, but she hadn't figured out how to style it yet so it flopped down in her eyes all the time. She got frustrated with the curls so Ryland brushed them aside for her, sweeping them behind her ear._

"_We're fine, Ace." he said seriously, putting away the phone for a minute to focus on her._

_Anya's eyes got a little glossy as she struggled to rein in the OCD side of her that wanted to freak out and hyperventilate. "You don't know that! You don't know we'll be okay!"_

"_Yes I do, Ace, I do." he told her honestly, holding her face between his hands as she started gasping for breath. As much as she felt like an idiot for over reacting, she was so glad Ryland was with her. At least he knew how to deal with her._

"_How!?"_

_Ryland paused a second to let her take in a deep breath, before saying, "Cause we've got each other."_

XXX

Avoiding Anya was impossible and staying mad at her seemed petty; and yet Ryland found himself trying to do both. She hid in the locker rooms a while and he stayed in the gym taking out his frustration on a punching bag until someone alerted him to his father's arrival. He'd already cleaned up the water he spilt everywhere, so he just grabbed a towel and headed to the locker room to change. But before he opened the door he heard voices on the other side and paused.

"It was stupid," Anya's voice traveled through the closed door. "it was great, but stupid."

"I agree," Brant's voice came next and Ryland sighed. "We should be focused on this mission not on each other. Did I thoroughly enjoy myself? Abso-fucking-lutely! It was the best damn kiss of my life. But it was the wrong time."

Anya must've blushed because she made a little sound of embarrassment Ryland knew all too well. Ryland dared to crack the door enough to peek through. Brant had his hand on her cheek and she was smiling shyly up at him. Ryland knew that smile, it was the same cute smile she reserved for boys she liked. Every other boy she dated got that smile and Ryland always wished to one day get that smile too. The eye-crinkling, dimple-making, infectious smile that could stop anyone's heart in an instant. Seeing her smile like that at Brant made Ryland unjustifiably mad.

"You're a great kisser, you know that?" Brant said and Anya giggled. "Seriously, I wasn't expecting that. I think I have teeth marks on my bottom lip. I though _I _got rough..."

Anya quieted him by giving him another quick kiss. Ryland had to look away then, not wanting another image of them kissing in his mind. He didn't mind the idea of Anya getting rough with Brant but not by biting his lip. Kicking him in the balls, yes. Kissing him hard enough to leave marks, no.

He waited for Anya and Brant to leave the locker room before entering behind them. He quickly cleaned himself up and changed into black jeans, a tight white short-sleeve Henley and red Converse. Just to spite Anya he removed his contacts and put his glasses on again, knowing how much she liked them. Once he was dressed he rushed out to the main hall just in time to see Tony and Natasha exit the elevators and step into Next Gen.

"Mom?" Anya asked as she appeared behind Ryland. "What are you doing here?" Ryland turned to see her enter the front hall. She'd changed as well into a gray v-neck tee, jean shorts, pink gladiators and a pink floral silk chiffon scarf. Her hair was pulled up in a messy braided bun and she wouldn't look at him, but it wasn't lost on him that his golden watch was still on her wrist.

Natasha threw her hands up in innocence. "I'm not taking over, I swear." she said calmly. "Tony mentioned the little girl you're trying to find is Chinese. I did some undercover work over there about ten years ago, thought I'd lend a hand in someway." Then Natasha stepped closer and whispered, "Plus Clint is driving me crazy."

Anya surprised everyone by giving her mom a big hug. "I'm glad you came." she said sincerely before pulling back. "C'mon, we're still running the face trace." When she turned she caught Ryland's eye for a split second before they both looked away sharply.

Ryland and Anya lead their parents to the main tech room where a group of people were working on finding the girl as well as the mole. Natasha studied the photo closely but didn't recognize the girl. "She would've still been a baby when I went undercover. If you get a name I'll be of more help." she said.

"Well then let's get a name." Tony replied, cracking his knuckles. He had a metal briefcase and a cell phone in his hand. If Anya didn't know any better she would think he was under-prepared. "Got an empty room where I can set up?" he asked, holding up the briefcase. Ryland motioned for his father to follow him to an empty conference room. Once inside with the door closed and the lights dimmed, Tony set the briefcase on the table and punched in the combination to unlock it.

"007," he said with a wink before slipping the case open. "Wakey, wakey, JARVIS, we got work to do." Just as Tony spoke the box lit up red. The Stark Industries logo projected into the air above the case before disappearing. A second later the whole room lit up like a computer screen. All the glass walls became touch screens showing all kinds of new features and whatnot. Tony pulled out his phone, hit a few buttons and it expanded a few inches to the length of a keyboard.

"You've upgraded," Ryland mentioned as he examined the tech. With school, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the mission, Ryland hadn't gotten much time in R&D with Tony recently and seeing the upgraded tech made him want to start working with his dad again.

Tony shrugged nonchalantly as he hopped onto the table beside the briefcase. "I've gotta do something while you're away."

Ryland hopped onto the conference table alongside Tony, pulling up the photo of the little girl. "We ran her picture through all the databases S.H.I.E.L.D. has access to but she's not in any."

"JARVIS," Tony addressed the AI controlling his new tech. "How long would it take to access the foreign..."

JARVIS cut off Tony before he even finished. "Too long, sir." JARVIS replied in his charming British accent.

Tony rolled his eyes and thought a moment more. "How about the school emblem on her cardigan?" he asked, isolating the section of the photo where the little girl's hair was covering part of her school uniform.

"I can try, sir, however I doubt we will get a match with so little of the insignia showing." JARVIS replied as he stripped the background and isolated the emblem.

"While you're at it, buddy, try figuring out who sent the go-ahead to take Agent Wilson into custody." Tony added and JARVIS made a quip about multitasking that had Ryland rolling his eyes. A few minute passed peacefully before Tony broke in with, "So what's going on with you and Little Agent Barton? You guys are acting weird." But Ryland just stared ahead, watching JARVIS work and refusing to answer. "This is gonna take a while and I'm just gonna keep asking until you answer so you might as well save us both a lot of irritation and shut me up now."

Ryland heaved a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "You know Brant?" He asked, looking over at Tony who nodded. "He's got a thing for Anya and today I caught them making out in the gym."

"And you're jealous." It wasn't a question, juts a statement and Ryland stammered an idiots reply. "What was that supposed to be some big secret?"

"Yes...no...I don't know...you think she knows?" Ryland stammered, pulling off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. Something like relief flooded his system as he realized the family would probably be okay with him and Anya liking each other. But then his jealous mind brought up the image of Brant and Anya kissing again and he frowned.

"I just don't get it." Ryland mumbled dejectedly. "We're super close, we flirt a lot, everyone apparently knows we like each other, we almost died together, then she goes and kisses Brant!?"

"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, son." Tony replied, leaning in close to Ryland. "Relationships. Make. No. Sense." he said slowly. Ryland chuckled but Tony was right. "No one knows what they want, not really. You might think you know what you want but until you have it, you'll never know."

"So how do you ever know what you want? How do you know who to marry or who to love? How do you know what's good for you and what's not?"

"You don't. You just don't." Tony replied honestly. "All you can do is take a chance and see what happens. Sometimes the risk is worth taking and other times your heart gets broken. But you'll never know unless you give it a shot. I didn't know I wanted a wife and a brat-er, kid- under each arm until a nurse handed me a little person in a blue blanket. Once I had you, I wanted you more than anything. But prior to that I wanted nothing to do with kids."

Ryland let that sink in before he chuckled a little. "All the mistakes you've made over the years, I'm not sure I want love advice from you."

"It's not from me, I overheard Steve say it once." Tony replied sarcastically. "But seriously, Rye, don't be afraid to take a chance. I had no idea what would happen when I kissed Pepper the first time and I was scared shitless. But every day since has been the best of my life. And even though I was scared and unsure, I took a chance on something I knew I couldn't live without and it was the best choice of my life."

Ryland threw his head down on the table with a thud. He had way too much to think about. He knew he couldn't live without Anya but making a change- taking a chance- could make him lose her forever. Either way he was screwed.

"If I speak too soon I'll scare her away."

"And if you wait too long she'll find someone else."

XXX

"Don't think for one second I don't see the tension between you and Ryland. So tell me what's up or I'm gonna draw my own conclusions." Natasha said in a low voice as she helped Anya de-encrypt who gave the go-ahead to bring Agent Wilson into custody. Whoever it was covered their track well, scrambling the signal and bouncing it from computer to computer so tracking which computer it originated from was difficult.

Anya had been fielding her mother's questions for almost an hour already but she hadn't given up any info yet. If she owned up to kissing Brant then she'd have to admit that that was the reason for the tension between her and Ryland; and if she admitted that was the problem then she'd have to own up to her feelings for him. It was a downward spiral she didn't feel like starting. But her mother wasn't lying, Natasha would draw her own conclusions and they'd no doubt be much, much worse than the actual problem. So Anya looked around the room for any prying eyes.

"I kissed Brant." she whispered just loud enough for Natasha, and only Natasha, to hear. Natasha gasped a little, acting more like a teenager than Anya. She looked around the room asking which one Brant was, so Anya pointed out the Texas Longhorn and Natasha whistled quietly.

"_Mmm_, good taste." she said with a chuckle, earning a look from Anya. "I just have one question..." Natasha paused for dramatic effect before asking, "what about Ryland?"

Anya heaved a sigh and threw her head down on the desk they were using. "I don't know!" she grumbled with her face still against the desk. "I mean, he's mad at me for sure by I don't know why."

Natasha gave her daughter a look as she smoothed her curls. "Anya," she said softly, making Anya look up. "You know why, Baby Girl. Ryland's been infatuated with you since you were kids. You've both dated other people in the past and that's okay, but we've all known the feelings were there still. And this mission has brought you closer than ever."

Anya studied her mother's green eyes, letting her words sink in before she sighed. "I like Brant, I do..."

"But you like Ryland too."

Anya ran a hand down her face as she groaned. "Brant is safe," she finally admitted. "If things go wrong then we go our separate ways and that's that; no one else gets hurt, nothing is weird or awkward, we just go on our merry way. But with Ryland..." Anya paused as she tried to come up with the right words. "Ryland is bad news. He's too important to lose and he's too close to my heart not to make a move. So I'm stuck here in limbo trying my hardest not to fall for him but only falling harder. If things go south and don't work out, I'm screwed. I lose my best friend and I make everything weird and awkward for the family."

Natasha nodded, understanding Anya's valid point. "Or," she added optimistically. "things will work out perfectly fine and you'll be better than ever." She let Anya process that a minute before grabbing her daughter's hands. "The point is you never know how things are gonna turn out. All you can do is follow your instincts and try your hardest."

Anya smiled a little as she said, "I'm eighteen, Mom, my actions all stem from emotions and hormones; my instincts can't be trusted."

Anya, you were born middle-aged. You've never in your life made a decision without first thoroughly thinking through and weighing the options first. You're too much like me to let your emotions dictate your actions, even at eighteen." Natasha said sweetly, smoothing back some of Anya's curls. Anya honestly felt like crying because of the weight on her shoulders. Natasha could sympathize, so she stood up and offered a hand to Anya who took it and followed her mother down a serried of hallways to the break room. Anya honestly hadn't even been to the break room yet. Whenever she went to Next Gen it was for classes or training or recently for the mission, so she was always either in the gym, in class or the computer lab. But walking into the well stocked room was like walking into heaven if just because they had the most amazing coffee machine ever. Tony bought one of the tower when they first came out and set him back a cool 2k but it made the best coffee. Ever.

So Anya quickly set out to make herself a cup, using a S.H.I.E.L.D. mug while Natasha fixed herself a cup of tea and got them both energy bars to snack on. Anya quickly realized she literally hadn't eaten anything since that morning, so she gulped down her coffee and snack bar then went for seconds.

"Hey, Mom?" she asked as she polished off her second helping. "When did everything get so complicated?"

Natasha honestly thought about it for a minute. Things got complicated for Natasha the minute she met Clint. Coincidentally that's also when life got clearer and her outlook got brighter. If Natasha Romanoff Barton had anything to say about love it would be to ay love is the messiest thing in life. It's also the most beautiful, frustrating, magical, complicated, infuriating, consuming, irrational, sensational and maddening thing everyone with the breath of life should experience at least for a short while. And though love often brings answer to certain questions, it also asks a million more questions you'd otherwise never even think to ask. And not knowing the answer to a question was an OCD trait Natasha passed along to her daughter.

Natasha didn't envy Anya the struggles she'd face with love. Though Anya wouldn't have as hard a time as Natasha sis, it still wouldn't be easy. She was going to fight with herself, those that love her, and love itself. But Anya had something Natasha didn't: a family. A support system. People who care too much to run for the hills when the kid gloves come off. And most of all Anya had a Daddy at home worrying himself sick and a mother by her side to wrap her in a hug much more cathartic than anything should be. And even though she had an uphill battle and a lot of questions left to ask, Anya was okay for a minute. Because for a minute she was a little girl again, finding the utmost comfort in her mother's arms.

* * *

Author's Note: Little family moments with Daddy!Tony and Mommy!Tasha. I knew we needed some conversations about this _thing_ Anya and Ryland have and who better to have said conversations with than the people who know them best? As always, there's a set on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for this chapter titled Linchpin: 13

Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: I meant to get this up yesterday but time got away from me. I'm also catching up to myself in writing (I always like to have a few chapters written ahead of what's posting) so I gotta get writing again! This stupid writers block though :/ I feel like nothing's coming out right and I just can't shake the feeling.

**Review Reviews:**

**Lollypops101: **Thank you :)

**KMPcool: **Thanks! Aside from Rye and the twins, their ages go in synchronization cause Thor/Jane and Clint/Natasha had kids one after the other haha so Ryland is 20, Anya is 18, Dahlia is 17, Irina is 16, Kellen is 15 and the twins are 11 :)

**The Madrigal: **:)

**Morgan: **Thanks! I hate when writers make teen/parent relationships so confusing and complicated. Not every teen hates their parents lol and Natasha's great at dancing back and forth between friend and parent.

**maggie: **Thank you :)

**discordchick: **Haha everyone's a shipper ;)

**GhostGlowLight: **Ryland just doesn't hide his jealousy very well, does he? lol. Thanks :)

**Sasha: **Thanks! I just thought to add the flashbacks before posting chapter 13 and now I've written a few that will begin the next few chapters. I kept thinking of that chapter of Mini-Vengers when writing that scene! It's almost the same conversation, just all grown up. He might just get a special Ryland Smile :) Anya is really scared to lose, not only her best friend, but Pepper and Tony as well, and also make things weird for the family. She's got some stuff to work out before it'll smack her on the face that Rye is perfect for her ;) haha Thanks!

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **If she just gave up the fight there'd be no story! haha, but she'll eventually come to terms with the _painfully_ obvious solution ;)

**kimbee: **Parental Tony will always kill my feels. Aceland stamp of approval! We're a go ;)

**PJ-NCIS-TF-26: **Thank you very much :)

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **Cobblestone is hard, Rye, we feel your pain lol I'm glad to hear you catch the little things! Sometimes I think no one notices those little things that amuse me very much. But it's great to know they're just as appreciation as the major events :)

**LeKins004: **Thanks! You mean my Polyvore? The website is completely designed to create outfits. If you scroll through it a bit or join you'll see how it works. It's great for writing! And when you're bored haha They have everything from t-shirts and shorts and guns and random stuff! It's pretty great :)

**Emrys90: **That's okay. I'm sorry to hear things have been bad for you :( But I'm glad they are getting better! Aceland for the win for sure! Tony knows what's up, he sees what's really going on and he'd be an idiot not to support it. Anya's already like a daughter, might as well make her a daughter-in-law LOL jk. I love the idea that Natasha can swing back and forth between friend and parent so easily. My mom and I are just as close as Anya and Natasha so I drew a lot from my mom for that scene :) Thanks! [I have a feeling you're going to like this chapter...hehe]

**prontobadjuju: **Ryland wears his heart on his sleeve, which, if Anya doesn't straight up and get her crap together soon, will get him pretty hurt. Thanks!

A/N: The begging of this chapter is also a flashback to Rome!

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Rome**..._

_Clint and Natasha arrived back at the villa a little before dinner with a few shopping bags full of souvenirs for the apartment in New York. Vacation was truly a time for Natasha to let lose and be herself; so she wore a pink button up with shorts and gladiators out but spent most of her time indoors in nothing but a bathing suit. Irina was the same way so it was no surprise at all to find her in the kitchen in a red bikini, cutting up a peach for a snack._

"_Have fun?" she asked over her shoulder after exchanging pleasantries with her parents. Natasha tossed aside the bags and sneaked a piece of peach off her cutting board as she passed behind Irina._

"_Yeah," Clint said offhandedly as he grabbed a patterned sarong off the counter and wrapped it around Irina. "Let's just cover that up, k?"_

_Irina chuckled as she rolled her eyes and fixed the sarong so it looked right. Clint cringed because it was just around her waist and he wished it to be around all of her. Covering every inch of skin that showed. Which was a lot._

"_Where is everyone?" Natasha asked as she looked out a large window to the courtyard where most everyone hung out._

"_Tony and Pepper are upstairs," Irina said suggestively. "And Ryland and Anya still aren't home."_

"_They still aren't back yet?" Natasha asked curiously, making a face as she checked her watch. "They left at ten this afternoon...it's almost six. Where could they possibly be?"_

_Irina shrugged indifferently, and just to spite Clint, added, "Probably doing something similar to Tony and Pepper."_

_He almost dropped his glass of ice water, shooting her a dirty look. "Not funny."_

"_Either way," Natasha cut in with a chuckle. "They aught to be home soon. Have you called her?" Irina shook her head so Natasha pulled out her phone to dial Anya's number but it just went to voicemail, so she tried Ryland but that also went to voicemail. She turned a curious look to Clint who just raised his eyebrows._

"_I'm probably worrying about nothing, right?" she mumbled quietly as Clint followed her out to the courtyard so they could have a bit of privacy. Natasha kept trying to call the kids as Clint followed her around the pool, popping grapes in his mouth between sentences._

"_You probably are," he replied, popping a few grapes in his mouth. "but then again, they could be lost somewhere freaking out."_

_Natasha rolled her eyes even as she considered that possibility. "They aren't lost," she finally replied, grabbing a grape from him and returning her phone to her pocket._

"_How do you know?" Clint challenged as she ate his last grape. He wrapped both arms around Natasha's waist and pulled her close to his chest where he could kiss the tip of her nose._

_Natasha finished chewing a bite of grape, her arms looped around Clint's neck. After swallowing she replied, "Because, much like us, they'll never be lost so long as they're together."_

XXX

Ryland made up his mind. He was done asking questions, he was gonna start doing. And good lord was he a force to be reckoned with. He wasn't going to let another day pass the way they always had. He was putting his foot down and making a move. But as soon as Anya and Natasha entered the conference room where he was working with Tony he started second guessing himself like an idiot. It took him a minute to find his resolve again then he moved to sit right next to Anya.

Tony and Natasha shared a loaded glance that made Ryland question if they were in fact routing for Anya and Ryland to date, but then he pushed that thought aside and focused on the way Anya kept curiously looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Sir," JARVIS spoke up, distracting them all. "unfortunately I was unable to find a match to the school uniform."

Tony grumbled a sigh and dry ran a hand down his face. "Still no hits on the photo at all?" Tony asked exasperatedly. He was beginning to resent the little girl for being so damn hard to find. Never in his life had Tony spent so long staring at a picture with so little skin showing.

"Sorry, Sir, but I'm having difficulty locating her."

"Don't look for her," Natasha suddenly cut in, drawing all eyes to her. She pointed to the picture but more importantly to the mountains in the background. "look for what's behind her."

Ryland almost fell off the table and so Anya reached out to catch him. "Why hadn't we thought of that already!?" he wondered aloud as he righted himself with Anya's help. "JARVIS, isolate the mountains and run a geographical trace for similar terrain."

JARVIS immediately got to work but unfortunately it would take a while. "Good catch," He slipped the compliment to Natasha under his breath, giving her a backwards low-five. Anya and Ryland kind of grumbled at their dorky parents but if it solved the case, hell they'd both give him backward low-fives.

While Natasha and Tony were distracted by some intricate handshake Tony was trying to teach her, Ryland leaned over to Anya and whispered,"Take a walk with me?"

Anya looked up with big blue eyes and nodded. Tony and Natasha watched them walk out before bumping fists.

There was no real privacy in Next Gen and that's exactly what Anya and Ryland needed so they found themselves out in the blistering heat, pushing through the broken metal door to get outside.

"Hey!" Ted screamed as soon as he saw them. Anya jumped, instinctively grabbing Ryland's arm. "Lot's of people coming and going today, yeah lot's of people. Something going on? Something happening today?"

Ryland looked pointedly down at Anya as she still clung to his arm. Blushing a little she let go but Ryland would be a fool not to have liked it. "Nothing is going on, Ted." Ryland said calmly, working his creepy monk-ish voodoo.

"Crock o' shit!" Ted snapped and Anya snorted. "I'm on to you. Both of you! Ain't no reason you kids should be hanging out around here."

Anya shrugged as Ryland steered them towards the street. "Maybe we like the atmosphere." she said with a smile.

"Yeah we love the wonderful people you meet outside abandoned warehouses." Ryland added sarcastically.

"Or maybe we come here to make out." Anya tossed over her shoulder before they turned the corner and disappeared from Ted's sight. They kept walking not really saying much but enjoying the silence. The heat was intense and Ryland was glistening with sweat but somehow it still felt nice to just get out of Next Gen and stretch his legs (without someone or something dangerous chasing him).

They walked over to a hotdog cart and ordered a few, their rumbling stomachs eager for something more than just coffee and snack bars. Ryland loaded his up with a disgusting amount of toppings and ate both before Anya finished her one. She shook her head in amusement, buying them a bag of chips to share and two sodas. This mission was blowing her usually perfect diet to pieces.

"So," Ryland mumbled slowly as they found a bench close by and sat together. Twilight was falling over New York and no matter how many years Ryland lived in the city, it always felt transformative and almost magical.

"I'm sorry you caught me and Brant like that." Anya whispered softly.

"I really have no right to be angry."

"You told me how you felt about him and I completely ignored you." Anya thought a long minute before deciding to just tell him the truth. "I don't regret kissing Brant, it was nice and it was my decision. The only thing I regret is doing something that screwed up our relationship."

Ryland smiled softly at her. "You don't need to apologize, Ace. We're both adults here; we're going to make mistakes and decisions the other doesn't agree with. But the beauty of our relationship is that it can withstand these kind of difficulties. I love you, Ace, and I'm not gonna let some other guy get in the way." Ryland said sincerely, reaching over to hold her hand.

"And since we're being brutally honest," Anya mentioned after a minute. "I'm not going to date Brant. He's fun and nice but not what I need right now."

"What _do_ you need?"

Anya thought about it for a long minute before shrugging. "I got no idea." she said with a little chuckle.

"My dad says no one knows what they want until they have it." Ryland muttered thoughtfully before deciding he didn't agree with Tony. So he said, "I disagree. I think, occasionally, you know exactly what you want, you're just too scared to admit it- even to yourself."

"When I was six Thor told me what you don't know is simply what you know without knowing it." Anya said with a smile. "It makes sense if you think about it long enough."

Ryland chuckled, thinking hard for a minute. "I've been scared for a long time." he finally mumbled after a few seconds of silence. "I've been scared a lot this week too. But...I'm just not scared any more."

Even though she knew good and well what he was saying, Anya still asked, "What does that mean?"

Ryland popped a potato chip in his mouth and lazily replied, "It means when this mission is over I'm going to ask you out."

XXX

It took all night to run the geographical trace on the mountains behind the Little Girl Linchpin. JARVIS worked all night while everyone else lounged about the conference room sleeping on and off. At one point Anya and Brant sneaked off for almost twenty minutes but Ryland didn't freak out because when they returned Anya put a good bit of distance between them. Brant and Shaw wondered in and out of the room periodically checking in on JARVIS's progress. In order to free-up the AI to focus on the geo search, Ryland and Tony worked to find the mole. Whoever it was that gave the go-ahead that got Agent Wilson- as well as the two agents transferring him- killed was damn good. Almost too good. It wasn't really surprising seeing as they were trained by S.H.I.E.L.D. but it was still frustrating.

"The car got the go-ahead not the agents. "Ryland told Anya as he worked. "Someone sent a message to the car bypassing Agent Shaw's original hold on the transfer. Whoever it was sent it from here I just can't find out who's computer."

"Why not? Can't you trace it backwards?" Anya asked as she sat beside him, chin in her hand.

"I have been doing that, girly girl." he retorted with a sarcastic look. They were back to themselves again after their little talk so they were sitting too close again- close enough that their shoulders touched. "He's piggy-backing. I can't tell where it originated because it keeps bouncing from IP address to IP address."

Anya was only sort of following him, mostly falling asleep. Around three in the morning while Natasha was face down on the table snoring and Tony was under the table sleeping, Anya finally caved and laid her head on Ryland's shoulder. He smiled to himself as her little head fit perfectly on his shoulder, her hands wrapped around his arm like she had done earlier when Ted scared them. She fell asleep immediately and not but three seconds later his arm went all tingly. He threw his head back at the weird pain but he wouldn't move his arm an inch.

Eventually his arm just went numb which was uncomfortable but less painful. She was asleep almost a half hour before the doors opened with a happy 'how do you do' swoosh. Ryland looked up to see Brant walk in and freeze. The senior agent did an excellent job masking his emotions as he saw Anya peacefully asleep on Ryland's shoulder. He just walked further into the room, asking if they got anything. Ryland just shook his head and they sat in silence.

"She kiss you yet?" Brant suddenly asked. Ryland stammered but shook his head. "You're missing out, it's amazing. The perfect mix of rough and soft. Everyone should be kissed like that at least once in their life."

"Why are you talking about this?" Ryland snapped. It's not like he never thought about kissing Anya but talking about it while she was unaware felt wrong and disrespectful.

Brant shrugged a little. "Just making conversation."

"Well steer the conversation in a different direction please. Ace is more than a good kisser, she's also a person and I don't think she would appreciate you talking about her." Ryland retorted.

Brant paused a minute before saying, "You're protective of her, good." with a surprisingly genuine smile. "She's protective of you too; borderline defensive."

"That's what you two talked about!? Me!?"

Brant nodded once. "More or less. She said something important was brewing and I asked if it was you. Everyone sees it."

"So if you saw it why'd you kiss her?"

Brant thought about it a minute. "Playing off the hope you were the only one with feelings. I thought I was right until you walked into the gym and she flipped out." Then he paused another second before smiling. "Plus I just wanted to see if I could. She turns heads around here, every single man in this building notices her. To be the one to have her? Man...that's a title I want." Brant winked the at the same time the door swished open again and Agent Shaw walked through. Ryland had to stifle his anger and divert his attention from Brant to Shaw as she asked if they made any progress. Ryland shook his head curtly, refusing to even look in Brant's general direction.

Everyone started to wake up again, Natasha snorting as she shot up, jolting out of a dream, and Tony smacking his head against the table when he tried sitting up. Anya turned scarlet red when she realized she'd slept on Ryland but he just smiled at her.

Natasha got up and cracked her neck as she checked JARVIS's progress. "Well shit," she grumbled. "We got nothing."

"Not exactly..." Ryland mumbled, sitting up straighter and clicking away at the projected keyboard on the table in front of him. "I might have the mole's IP address after all."

Everyone crowded around his computer to try and see what he saw. It made no sense to Anya though so she stepped back to let Tony get closer. Tony and Ryland shot technical jargon back and forth as they worked together.

"There, there, there!" Tony exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "It originated there."

"No," Ryland mumbled thoughtfully as he typed. "That's just another fake. Damn he's good."

"But you're better." Tony replied just as Ryland isolated the real IP address where the message was sent. He ran it against all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to find who it belonged to but when the ID appeared on the screen everyone sort of paused for a long minute.

Anya was the first to read the ID out loud. "Brant." she gasped, turning to look at the flustered agent. He looked absolutely shell shocked.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he started mumbling and when he went to raise his hands in defense, everyone drew their weapons. "No! It's not right! It's wrong! I'm faithful! Anya, you know I'm faithful!" Brant pleased as he backed away slowly. Just then a small tech opened the door to give them some news and found herself in the middle of the dangerous situation. Anya watched Brant size her up but before she could stop it, he grabbed the little tech and had a gun to her temple. She shrieked a high pitched sound that pierced Anya's ears.

"Let her go, Brant!" Shaw commanded, her gun still trained on the senior agent she brought in on the mission.

"Anya watched in horror as Brant backed away with the tech still at gun point. "It'd rather live, thanks." he retorted and the next thing they knew Brant was gone.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm trying to count how many people were suspicious of Brant from the beginning lol well there you go ;) But everything isn't always as it seems, and there are still some twists and turns left to this story! As always, you can check out outfits from this chapter on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) Linchpin: 14

**Side Note: **I just uploaded a series of ficlets set in the time between Mini-Vengers and Linchpin. There are one-shot plot bunnies I decided I'll upload between updates for Linchpin; so if you want to check that out it's on my profile under the title **This One Time**

Thanks!


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: OMG this has been one hell of a day! It started off with our power going out (which is still out right now, I'm updating this at a friend's house lol) then I found a baby kitten on a walk and took him home. After getting the OKAY to keep him and naming him Clintasha, my cat tried to attack him so we had to give him away. Now I'm at a friend's getting ready to watch the premier of Teen Wolf. I also have to be at work at 6 tomorrow. I. Want. To. Die. LOL!

**Review Reviews:**

**Lollypops101: **I like to keep you confused ;) Thanks!

**discordchick: **I always wanted certain characters to be sort of gray- you never know who's on who's side. Lol Clint desperate to keep his little girls little ;)

**PolkaDotMilly: **Hahaha, intense reaction. Go read This One Time my fluffy one-shot! It'll get you with the fluffy so you can come back and read this ;)

**LeKins004: **Thanks! I like keeping you guessing ;)

**maggie: **They are certainly stepping forward in their relationship. Thanks!

**SARAHBABE215: **Thanks! They'll get there eventually ;)

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **Time to suit up, indeed!

**Morgan: **Brant has always been a gray character. Thanks :)

**kimbee: **I always wanted this story to keep everyone confused and guessing; especially when it comes to Brant. But I'm excited to see how people react.

**KMPcool: **Thanks :) No problem.

**jeffhardyfan93: **Mwahaha yessss my evil plan is working!

**Chaos: **Thank you! I'm glad you like my work so much :) I'm so blessed by the positive response to both Mini-Vengers and Linchpin. Have you checked out This One Time, my story of one-shots set between Mini-Vengers and Linchpin. Thanks for reading :)

**GhostGlowLight: **Soon! I'm not going to tell you when, but soon ;)

** : **I like your guesses! Of course I'm not gonna tell you which is right ;) but one isn't that far off the mark. Thanks! At least it's out in the open and official, which may just push Anya towards being okay with Aceland. Lol Tony and Natasha fist bumping makes me giggle.

Sorry this chapter is a bit late. Like I said up top, I've had a hell of a day. The next update will come on time though, pinky-promise :)

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Rome**..._

_Ryland held his phone higher in the air, trying desperately to get a signal but he only had one bar that kept fading in and out. He tried standing on his tip-toes then climbed on a nearby bench. He tried everything. But nothing was working and more terrifying than his lack of service bars was his lack of power bars. Ryland was down to his last 10% of power and Anya's phone was probably down even lower._

_He turned to face her, worrying on the inside but calm on the out. She was losing it. No matter what he said or did, Ryland couldn't get her to calm down so he focused on getting them back to the villa safe and sound. But the worried look on her face broke his heart and he couldn't stand the way she couldn't catch her breath._

"_Anything?" she asked quietly as she sat on nearby steps her head in her hands. Ryland had to shake his head, making Anya grimace. "I'm down to 5% power, you?"_

_Ryland didn't reply, just held his phone a bit higher in the air. "Let's keep walking." he suggested after a minute. The further they walked the more worried Anya became if just because neither of them knew for sure which direction they were headed so of course they could be headed right for the main streets or they could be headed in the opposite direction._

"_Why is there no one here!?" Anya whispered harshly, almost a hiss._

"_We must be in a weird part of town." Ryland replied equally as quite, reaching behind him to grasp her hand. He could feel her pulse and how quickly it beat, his heart speeding up to match the pace. He reached even higher and when his phone beeped they both jumped. But it wasn't a service bar rather another notification that his phone would soon die. "Fuckin Stark Tech." Ryland grumbled under his breath as he lowered his arm._

"_It's not the tech," Anya said softly, following as he lead her by the hand through a brick archway. "It's our own fault. We're the idiots who got lost in Rome."_

"_Under any other circumstance this would probably be considered romantic." Ryland teased but didn't get so much as a small smile from Anya. They turned a corner but stopped short when they were confronted by a dead-end. With nothing but a cobblestone wall in front of them, a single way behind them and twilight rapidly approaching, Anya really started to panic._

_She dropped his hand and clutched her chest, spinning in a circle. She looked like a trapped animal, scared and alone. Even with Ryland by her side she felt so utterly alone lost in a foreign city with no way out. Fear crept up her spine and choked her, making her head spin and her heart pound against her ribcage agonizingly. Her hands started shaking as she clutched her aching chest, the tears she'd been fighting for a long time spilled over her eyelids and streaked her pink cheeks._

"_Hey, hey, hey!" Ryland spoke as softly as possible, scared to speak too loudly and shatter her. Anya's big blue eyes looked up at him from under shaky lashes and she looked so utterly lost. So scared and broken and utterly frustrated. He couldn't help but wrap her up in his arms in a pathetic attempt to keep her safe from herself._

"_W-we're really, really l-lost, R-Ryland." she stammered through a broken sob. Ryland held her closer, cradling her head to his chest as he tried not crying because she was. Her whole body was shaking with the force of her cries as she leaned into him, letting Ryland support both of their weight. So he steered them towards a stoop where they sat down together. Anya's sniffles bounced around the alleyway in pathetic damaged echoes as she curled into Ryland's lap._

_He gave her a few minutes to just cry and break down before he pulled back to frame her face with his large hands. "Hey," he whispered softly, making her look him in the eye. "it's gonna be okay, Ace. You're gonna be fine."_

"_I-I can't c-calm down." she whimpered. "I c-can't make m-myself stop c-crying!"_

_Ryland almost chuckled at how scared she was of herself, of her own reaction. But instead he kissed her forehead and said, "It's okay, Ace, it's alright. Just find yourself again. You're still in there under the sobs, just find yourself." Then he reached to unhook the clasp of his brand new gold watch and slide it off his wrist and into her shaky hands. "Take a minute, count the seconds; focus on your breaths and find yourself again."_

_Anya looked up at him with fearful blue eyes but he encouraged her to try this new trick. So she sucked in a shaky breath and studied the face of the watch. He wasn't sure how she was able to read it, her hands were shaking so, but the seconds ticked by anyway. She watched the skinny ticker count down every second that passed and soon enough her gasps calmed to even breaths. Her pulse began to even out and her hands stopped shaking, the tears long gone by the time sixty seconds had passed._

_She looked up to Ryland when her minute was up, amazement clear in her sparkly blue eyes. Ryland's smile was so genuinely proud it made his eyes crinkle in the corner. "There you are," he said softly as he ran a finger across her cheek. Anya smiled and sucked in a steady deep breath._

"_How'd you do that?" she wondered aloud as she let the relief settle in the pit of her stomach and calm all her nerves._

"_I didn't do anything, that was all you." he replied with a wink. Anya went to hand the watch back to him but he refused. "Keep it," he said, sliding it onto her wrist. "use it again some time. It looks better on you anyway."_

XXX

Everyone moved on instinct, rushing the elevator as soon as the doors closed behind Brant and the poor tech he held hostage. "Bring it back down!" Ryland yelled to JARVIS who was already hacked into Next Gen's system. Everyone had their guns aimed at the elevator when it came back down to their level with a ding. But when the doors opened Brant was gone and the tech was rolling on the floor clutching her head wound.

"Check her," Agent Shaw said to the closest person as she entered the elevator and checked the shaft. "He's not here."

"People don't just disappear into thin air." Ryland said as he holstered his weapon and double checked the elevator. Even if it seemed impossible, Brant was gone. "Get outside now. He can't disappear, he's here somewhere."

A few junior agents got in a separate elevator to go ground level and find Brant but everyone knew they wouldn't find anything. It was just hard to sit by and do nothing. Ryland remembered the conversation he'd had with Brant just a short while before hand and heat rose in his chest. Then he remembered the way Brant and Anya kissed and suddenly he wanted to vomit. The idea that such a bastard had taken advantage of Anya made Ryland spitting mad. So mad in fact that he had to take a walk around the building to clear his head. And Anya was even worse off.

Watching the news settle in the pit of Anya's stomach was hard for everyone. Even if she wasn't serious about Brant, knowing he did what he did hurt. It was never easy finding out someone you know- someone you trusted, even a little bit- was actually a terrorist. It made Anya question everything from his interest in the case to his interest in her. She started wondering if any of it was real and what information she gave away without knowing it. She was absolutely reeling; but she quickly set aside her emotions for the time being and focused on what to do next. Luckily just a few hours after Brant ran away JARVIS announced he had a location on the Little Girl Linchpin.

The screen zoomed in on the mountains from a map point of view and JARVIS read aloud the details of the Hong Kong providence where the photo was taken. "Now," Ryland said to JARVIS, having come back from his walk only slightly more placid. "pull up all school uniforms in that area."

An array of eight school emblems came up on the screen and Anya immediately found the right now. "There, its the right shape and color." she said, pointing to the emblem that looked closest to the one of the little girl's sweater.

Ryland couldn't shake the same feeling he had when he first saw the photo of the little girl. Florence and Charlotte had similar school uniforms just with different colors when they went to a private school last year. They'd complained enough to convince Steve and Mickey switch schools to a place that didn't mandate a uniform. Ryland found himself wondering if the little girl in the photo hated her uniform too as he reached out and touched the screen, dragging the emblem to the side in order to bring up the school website. "It's password protected," he mumbled but a second later he'd hacked in. He started filtering through the photos before Tony stopped him, pointing out the right girl.

"Sya Zhuang." Anya read out loud, feeling a sense of relief at finally knowing her name and giving her a title other than Little Girl Linchpin. It also made the mission more personal, though, and Anya couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

"Zhuang?" Natasha repeated, looking real thoughtful. "Daughter of Xiu Zhuang?"

Ryland checked her short bio before saying, "Yeah, why?"

Everyone turned to Natasha as she stepped up to the photo, studying the little girl's photo. "Xiu Zhuang is a serious Chinese kingmaker. He has serious political pull over there. He deals with our enemies on occasion but we've left him alone because he supports China's purchase of US debt."

"But why would Sya be the linchpin then?" Anya asked curiously from her spot between Natasha and Ryland. "Shouldn't Xiu himself be the linchpin?"

"No," Agent Shaw cut in, stepping up beside them. She had floated around in the background not saying much since they found out about Brant. Anya figured she felt a tad guilty for having brought him in on the case. "if Xiu was killed not much would happen. But if his daughter were killed in what he believed to be a botched assassination attempt...the repercussions would touch everyone. If the United States government were responsible for the death of Sya Zhuang, Xiu would end China's purchase of our debt."

"This country runs on debt spending." Ryland added as he worked on the computer. "If we couldn't borrow we'd shut down. We wouldn't be able to deploy our troops overseas."

"Leaving our enemies," Tony jumped in. "free to explore their interests unchecked."

Anya literally growled under her breath. "It doesn't make sense," she mumbled, running a hand down her face. "Why would Brant and Agent Wilson want to bring down their own country?"

"Everyone has a sum," Agent Shaw deadpanned. "a certain dollar amount that makes even the craziest things seem reasonable."

Silence lingered for a moment while that sunk in. She didn't know Brant well but Anya thought she knew him better than this. The first thing he said when his ID came through was to claim his faithfulness. He looked Anya in the eye and practically begged her to believe him. But she didn't know what to believe anymore- or who to trust. So Anya stuck close to Ryland's side, knowing she could trust him 100% and believe in him. She'd never question the faithfulness of her family. Having Tony, Ryland and Natasha in the room put at least some of Anya's worries at ease.

"Umm, guys?" Ryland mumbled apprehensively as he typed. "We have a serious problem." He brought up a series of photos but Anya couldn't make sense of the things popping up on the screen until a picture of a boarding pass came up. "Xiu Zhuang just got off a plane landing at JFK twenty minutes ago. They're headed for the Westin right now...and Sya is with him."

Agent Shaw sprung into action blazing fast, jumping up and talking a million miles a minute. To be honest Anya wasn't paying much attention but she knew what had to be done. So she ran to the locker room to grab her gun as well as her sneakers. When she came out Ryland was waiting with his pistol on his hip and his phone in his hand. She hated the thought that they were headed out to arrest (or worse) Brant. But she shook away all feeling, cracked her neck and resigned herself to get this done.

"It should take them a half hour to get to time square." Ryland said and so Anya checked her (his) watch. "And if we're lucky we'll get there just a few minutes before them."

The two rushed to the elevator where Tony and Natasha were waiting with surprisingly calm faces. "He has a limo picking him up at the airport now." Tony said, showing them something on his tablet as they all rode the elevator up and outside where Agent Shaw was waiting by her car. Natasha grabbed Anya's hand, holding on a second longer than necessary and that's all Anya needed. All the reassurance, back up and comfort she'd ever need. When they stepped out of the elevator Anya was calmer than she'd been since the mission started.

"Keep the lights green for me, would ya?" Ryland called to his father as he and Anya rushed to the Camaro. "And throwing some red lights at Xiu would be helpful too."

"I've got you covered," Tony said, throwing a thumbs up at them. "Now go, go!" Him and Natasha ushered them off hurriedly and Ryland's tires squealed as he sped away from the warehouse followed closely by Agent Shaw. Taking a peek over at Anya, Ryland was shocked to find her so calm and collected. But he was thankful for the slow pace of her breathing cause if anything went south, he needed her to be behind him backing him up.

"Don't worry," she said seriously, watching the road ahead of them as a the red light they were approaching suddenly turned green and Ryland flew through. "I've got your back."

Ryland wasn't even surprised she could tell what he was thinking. Growing up closer than best friends meant they were open books to each other. And at times that sucked, but in that moment Ryland was glad he didn't have to say anything. He just looked over and smiled, throwing out, "You just like the view from back there." to make her smile. And it worked, just a tad. The corner of her mouth lifted just a little bit as they blew through yet another green light.

Tony was right, he had them covered. They didn't hit a single red light. Couple that with the Camaro's horsepower and a twenty-six minute drive shortened to eighteen.

They arrived at the Westin hotel, Agent Shaw pulling in a second later and they all ran into the building while Agent Shaw explained the layout. "We can't let Xiu know what's happening." she said as they entered from the back exit and headed for the stairs, following Agent Shaw's lead. "Our best bet is to apprehend Brant before Xiu even gets here."

They traveled down a couple flights of stairs and a series of empty hallways to the basement level. The Westin was a fancy place with rooms priced high enough to make your accountant cry if just because the hotel was on West 43rd street. So it really wasn't surprising that even the basement was kind of nice. Marble floors, white cinder block walls, Agent Shaw's stilettos clicked as they walked through the empty room. Then something occurred to Ryland.

"Why are we going through the basement?" he asked, his voice bouncing about the empty room. But the only response he got was the action on a gun behind him. He and Anya froze dead still, turning slowly to something they just couldn't fathom. Agent Shaw was behind them with her gun drawn, aimed right at them.

Agent Shaw moved forward slowly and slipped Anya's pistol out of it's holster and threw it across the room. Then she removed Ryland's and threw it towards the other, the clatter resounding throughout the room. "Now get on your knees." she commanded but Anya hesitated, so Agent Shaw kicked her down.

"Shaw what are you doing!?" Ryland asked in fearful amazement. Looking up at her then, she was a completely different woman than the one they'd been working with for the last few days. It was almost amazing how her face got even harder, her eyes even colder, and her skin color somehow paler now that Ryland knew she was a traitor.

"What needs to be done." she replied coolly. It all felt so very, very wrong but she was so resigned to the atrociousness of her actions. "You didn't really think Agent Brant did all this on his own, did you? That man couldn't think his way out of a box! He's a good cover though and his sum was low. So I brought him in to take the shot if I couldn't. Looks like he's gonna get a chance to shine." Agent Shaw checked her watch so Ryland did as well. Xiu was probably still a few minutes out but it wouldn't be long. As soon as Xiu arrived, everything would happen simultaneously.

"It was you this whole time." Anya mumbled. It wasn't a question, it wasn't even a statement. It was a growl.

"Of course," Agent Shaw replied easily. "I was the one who hired Doctor Kimble to write _Echo_ then kill him when he was no longer necessary. I was the one to convince Agent Wilson he had a sum just like everyone else."

"So what's your sum?" Anya spat angrily. She was losing it. Ryland looked over and saw the anxiety attack creeping up on Anya but there was virtually nothing Ryland could do about it. It wasn't like in Rome when he could hold her and try to calm her down. He couldn't even move to hold her hand. And he wanted to so badly.

"I have a sum," Agent Shaw replied slowly. "And it's been met. However the gratification of bringing down this country is so much sweeter."

"Why? Shaw, this is your country why would you want to bring it down!?" Ryland asked desperately. He figured if he could just stall her a few minutes more Anya would be able to calm down. But that would also leave Brant an opening to take down Xiu. So Ryland had to make a choice; his country or his best friend. He hesitated.

"это никогда не было моей стране!" Shaw snapped fluently. Ryland's jaw all but hit the floor and Anya's condition only got worse. Growing up with Tasha, they both knew exactly what Shaw said. "This is for Mother Russia."

"Россия будет противно вами!" Anya retorted in flawless Russian. Agent Shaw wasn't surprised Anya knew the language- growing up daughter of Natasha Romanoff and all- but it tainted the mission for her somehow and her face distorted. The decision to stall was stolen from Ryland when Agent Shaw cocked the gun and walked around behind Anya, lining her shot to the back of Anya's head.

By now Ryland really expected Anya to lose it. He was really surprised she wasn't freaking out the way she usually did. Anger kept her cool when Agent Wilson locked them in the car and Ryland kept her sane when their car plunged into the river. But he couldn't help her now and her anger was making it worse. But then she checked her wrist. Looking down on Ryland's gold watch, Anya breathed in deeply.

The watch had been expensive but when Ryland first saw it in the store he loved it. He had a drawer in his closet full of similar and different watches but he bought the Flud watch anyway. It made him feel professional because of the techymater markings and date windows. Tony had a similar watch in silver and Ryland always liked it. Tony's collection was always a source of envy for Ryland because they featured manufactures like Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe and for some reason a Dora watch. Ryland was creating his own prize collection and that gold watch was going to be the center of it. Until he gave it to Anya who wore it better than him anyway. Ryland gave it to her in Rome because she needed it, and seeing her use it again almost made him smile.

"You two," Agent Shaw's voice cut in but Anya was focused on the watch. "think you can come waltzing into S.H.I.E.L.D. and get handed missions on a silver platter because mommy and daddy are Avengers. I worked my ass off at S.H.I.E.L.D. I wasn't handed a damn thing. I had to work for everything and I don't even like this country! I would've let you live but I'm here to make a point. Americans think they deserve everything, think they are entitled to everything they want. But that's not how life works. You have to earn your way or die trying."

Then Agent Shaw lined up her shot to the back of Anya's head and a shot rang out that caused the walls to shake. "No!" Ryland screamed, reaching for Anya. But Ace wasn't the one to fall Shaw was. She hit the floor hard, her gun clattering to the ground as her blood stained the marble floor. Ryland and Anya turned slowly to see who took the shot. Anya thought maybe it was Brant or her mom but when she turned to see who it was she was absolutely astounded.

Even clean-shaved, better dressed and lacking the stench of alcohol, the man behind her was undeniable. "Ted!?" she all but shrieked, her jaw dropping open. Her mind frantically tried processing the idea that the disgusting homeless man outside of Next Gen was actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent but couldn't.

"We're out of time," Ted explained as he lowered his weapon and rushed into the room. "Xiu is arriving and Brant is ready to take the shot."

Anya and Ryland had to literally shake away the complete and utter shock that left them both a little numb. But then they rocketed to their feet and ran out after Ted. They were three levels below the lobby and quickly running out of time; so they took the stairs two at a time and Ted lead them through a pitch black hallway as a shortcut.

"We got eyes on Brant?" Ryland whispered as he hurried down the hall with his hand on the small of Anya's back to guide him.

"Just because it's dark doesn't mean you have to whisper." Ted retorted and Anya snorted. They burst through the exit, coming to the brightly lit lobby. Coming from the darkness to the light was staggering but Ted quickly recovered.

"I'm going to go around to the other side to cut him off if he tries to flee." Ted said before taking off at a brisk jog. A few people turned to look at the idiot running around the Westin which gave Anya the distraction she needed to run out the front door without causing a scene. The sun was even more blinding than the lobby so she held up a hand to cover her eyes. Once she could see again she noticed a white limo pulled up out front with government flags. Scanning the area she didn't see Xiu or Brant so she prayed they were just early.

"I don't see them," Ryland mumbled, pointing out the obvious and making Anya roll her eyes.

"No shit?" she snapped, still scanning for Xiu, Sya or Brant.

"Shit," Ryland shot back sarcastically but got serious again when the limo door opened and Xiu stepped out followed by his wife and Sya. Anya and Ryland both looked around for Brant but still didn't see him anywhere around the blissfully unaware Chinese family. Just as the family stepped from the car thunder cracked overhead and a few rain droplets hit Anya's nose. Two assistants to the Zhuang family immediately pulled out an umbrella to shield the Chinese Kingmaker and his family.

"This has to be clean." Anya said as she started moving, not really in any particular direction but to be ready to run when the time came. "Xiu cannot know what's happening." Ran drops started falling faster and more frequently which lead multiple people to throw open their umbrellas also, only further impairing Anya's view of Brant.

Ryland followed a few steps behind, looking in the opposite direction. Considering the Westin was smack-dab in the middle of time square, the front of the building was like a madhouse. People everywhere bumping into each other and talking louder than necessary, their umbrellas make it nearly impossible to see above them. It made following Anya a little difficult and finding Brant even harder. But the next thing he knew Anya took off running. So Ryland followed, figuring she saw Brant when he didn't. But then the sun reflected off Brant's gun as he pointed it directly at Sya, aiming to fire and drop the first domino.

Then Anya tackled him to the ground. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed as they fell to the floor, causing everyone to turn. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She quickly grabbed Brant's arm and pinned it to his back while she discreetly wiggled the gun from his grasp. Ryland helped them up, playing along with the charade they fell.

"My god, honey, watch where you're going." Ryland chastised loud enough for everyone to hear as he helped Brant stand, holding tight to his arm so he couldn't get away.

"God I didn't even see you there." Anya replied, making a face as they headed away from the scene they'd caused. Most of the people outside the Westin, including Xiu and his family, turned to see what had happened but had since turned back away. As Ryland and Anya showed Brant into the building, Ryland checked over his shoulder just in time to see the Zhuang family head in through a different entrance, blissfully unaware anything bad had almost happened.

* * *

Author's Note: Intense chapter! This is sort of the climax of the mission, but there's still plenty of Aceland to come ;) The outfit on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) is just a re-upload of chapter 13's outfit with a few minor changes but if you wanna check it out it's titled Linchpin: 15

Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: I'm just gonna say right here and now, I find myself incredibly funny hahaha multiple times throughout this chapter while I was editing I was chuckling at the stuff I wrote haha now I'm not sure what that means- other than, I'm awesome- but I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do :p haha

**Review Reviews:**

**Lollypops101: **He did buy a new Dora watch for him but for the sake of the story I figured maybe he bought himself one too as a reminder or something lol Thanks :)

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **Glad to know I could still get you with Ted ;) Thanks!

**KMPcool: **Thank you :)

**Morgan: **Thankies :) I was hoping to make it tense.

**Sasha: **That's okay. Is What's Your Number that movie with Chris Evans? Cause I always wanted to see that but never got to it lol Yes Ted is involved! At the beginning of the story I wasn't sure anyone was going to really question Ted but you caught it ;) Thanks!

**Chaos: **Haha yeah I'm sure Clint would've thrown a fit then passed out if he knew that Ryland and Anya kissed at that age. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm honored you took the time to read (and review!) even though it was your birthday. I hope you had a lovely birthday :) And you enjoy the update!

**kimbee: **Is your mind okay? lol, thanks! I've never seen Chuck, but Shaw just seems like a sketchy name haha. I do like keeping you guessing, it makes me feel powerful ;) hehe

**Emrys90: **You were very close! And one of very few people actually guessed right ;) Thanks!

**jeffhardyfan93: **Mwahahahahaha! *evilly strokes white cat* surprised?

**GhostGlowLight: **I'm guessing this is you being shocked? haha Thanks!

**LeKins004:** Wow that seems like a crazy trip! I've never been lost alone (other than in my car) but I know the feeling of almost a trapped animal. I'm glad it ended well :) Thank you!

**Avengersobsessed: **Aww thank you! That's very sweet! I try to update sometime within 3 days of updating.

**Guest: **Hahaha sorry Brant didn't die. Use your imagination to conjure up what S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing to him now ;) I wanted to make that shot as dramatic as possible; I'm glad you bought it haha. Don't apologize, I love reading reviews! Thanks for leaving them :)

**Orion84: **Your wait is over! Those flashbacks to Rome were a recent add- I only decided right before posting the first flashback to add them- so I'm glad you like them. I personally love all the interaction between the kids and their parents. I always hate when people write teenagers as whiney kids who's parents "just don't understand" cause that's not always the way it works. So I take great care when writing scenes with Anya and Ryland and their parents; I'm glad you like it :)

Author's Note: Just another reminder that I have another story This One Time that's set in the time between Mini-Vengers and this story. They are just one-shots about the kids and the family so I'd encourage you to check it out. I'm gonna try posting a chapter to that story between updates for this story :)

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Rome**..._

_Ryland stood up from the stoop, having given Anya the time she needed to fully calm down. He reached for her hand and helped her stand up but didn't let go even after her feet were planted on the ground. They started back they way they came, the only way left to go. Anya checked the watch that now belonged to her and announced how late it'd gotten._

"_Looks like we're gonna miss dinner." Ryland said just as his stomach protested. He shushed his stomach and kept walking hand-in-hand with Anya in no particular direction. She slowed down to look around the alleyway they traveled down, finally taking in the sights around her. Their hands slipped apart but she held onto his fingers, making sure to never fully let go of him._

"_My parents are probably freaking out." she mumbled as she admired a potted plant on the stoop of a house they passed._

_Ryland reached for his phone, turning the screen on just as the power cut out. "Well if they're trying to call I'm not gonna get it." he mumbled, returning the translucent phone to the back pocket of his cargo shorts. Anya checked her phone as well but it'd died before his and the screen wouldn't even turn on._

"_Hopefully they won't freak out too badly." she mumbled, feeling a little ironic saying the words after what had just happened to her. She felt like apologizing to Ryland for melting down so thoroughly in front of him but she knew he wanted no apologies. In fact he'd probably get mad if she apologized. She'd bared a bit too much with him but he stuck around and it didn't even scare him. If Anya wasn't already convinced she had a friend for life in Ryland, she would've been after that._

_Ryland was looking up at the sky, not paying attention to where he was walking and therefore tripped on the cobblestone walkway. They were hand-in-hand when he started to stagger so naturally Anya went along with him, getting pulled down as he fell. They managed somehow not to get too hurt but they fell all over each other and Ryland's knees hit the ground pretty hard. The stinging of fresh wounds came immediately but he still managed to catch Anya before she hit the sidewalk as hard as he did._

"_Oh my god," she grumbled as they dramatically fell down. "What the hell was that?" she asked as she started laughing. The absolutely ridiculous look on Ryland's face made her laugh even harder, then the mental image of how stupid they must've looked only made it worse. She started laughing hysterically, clutching her sides and snorting a little so naturally Ryland couldn't help but join in. They just laid there a few minutes laughing so hard they couldn't breathe. Ryland was instantly reminded of all the times they'd fallen over laughing as kids, snorting and giggling so hard they couldn't catch their breath._

_Ryland sat up eventually and brushed the dirt from his hands. He just so happened to look through an open courtyard to their left and gasped. He immediately reached for Anya, turning her face to look where he was. Her jaw all but hit the floor_

"_You gotta be kidding me." she mouthed in disbelief as they struggled upright and headed through the archway. Directly in front of them was a sign reading _Sapori D'Italia_ over a courtyard full of tables and chairs just calling Anya and Ryland's names like it had from the computer screen ten o'clock that morning when they originally set out for the destination._

_Ryland turned a cheeky grin her way and asked, "Have dinner with me?"_

XXX

It was truly as if nothing had happened at all. No one around even noticed Anya and Ryland drag Brant into a backroom of the hotel to hold him until S.H.I.E.L.D. could pick him up. Anya couldn't be around him especially when he started talking about how Shaw recruited him and how much money he would've gotten and how foiling his plan wouldn't truly stop anything; that failure to a terrorist is just a rehearsal for success. Ryland considered mentioning the little talk he'd had with Brant about how kissing her was just to prove a point but he decided to leave well enough alone. She was hurt enough, he didn't need to make it worse, even if telling her would stitch up her hate for Brant in a neat little bow ensuring she'd never talk or think about him again.

Instead of telling her what really happened, Ryland sat with Anya in the lobby waiting for Fury. They sat in silence, both thinking of what they'd accomplished and what could've happened had they not been there. Ryland almost wanted to give her a hug or a pat on the back because she was downright amazing, but he held her hand instead. She immediately turned her palm up and laced their fingers together. Ryland's hand dwarfed hers and if it were at all possible to be a good hand holder Ryland was one.

"I believe a congratulations is in order." Director Fury said as he approached them in the lobby. Anya and Ryland rose to meet him, dropping hands in the process. "And maybe even a promotion. Good work today; you two handled yourself like real agents."

"Thank you, sir." Anya and Ryland chorused together at the same time. Director Fury went over the plans S.H.I.E.L.D. had for Brant and the giant cover-up job they'd initiate to explain away Sarah Wright, Dr. Kimble, Agent Wilson and Agent Shaw. But most important, he explained Ted's involvement.

"Did you really think I'd let a hobo squat above our secret government agency?" Fury shot them a look over his eye patch and Anya made a face back at him, turning her lips down as she agreed with him. "Agent Taryn has been with us for a very long time- almost longer than Barton, even."

"My field efficiency was getting rusty," Ted Taryn explained as he joined them. A team was taking Brant out the back exit as they spoke but Anya rather not watch.

"You mean how you got lost looking for us?" Anya retorted teasingly. It had taken Ted a shamefully long time getting down to the basement because he took two wrong turns and traveled down an extra flight of stairs because of the complicated basement layout. He was ashamed to admit it but he had told the somewhat hilarious story of rushing through hallway after hallway and stairwell after stairwell before hearing Russian reverberate though a room and following the sound.

"I wasn't lost, I was momentarily disoriented!" Ted shot back at her and she chuckled. "_Anyway_, I've always hated desk work so I asked Director Fury for a lesser mission without lowering myself to paper pushing. So when Next Gen got up and running he put me in charge of undercover security."

"You play 'crazy hobo' well." Ryland said with a smile and Ted accepted the compliment graciously. "A little too well, might I add. You genuinely freaked me out a few times."

"I concur," Anya added. "I hated you."

Ted laughed, pulling a face. "Hey if I was going to cover myself in dirt and alcohol every day I was going to sell it. But seriously, you two did great today. This agency is lucky to have you both."

"I think you've earned yourself a day off." Director Fury cut in, checking his watch. "You still have some daylight left. Use it up cause I'm putting you back on assignment as quickly as possible. You proved yourselves today and I'm gonna make use of your skills."

"Thank you, sir, that's all we want." Anya replied with a humble smile. Getting a big ol' pat on the back from the Director felt great but she didn't even want to think about going back out on another mission. She had to decompress after this one, another mission was too far off for her to comprehend. She could, however, comprehend the growl in her stomach that reminded her that she'd, once again, forgotten to eat.

"Think Cap made lunch?" she asked Ryland as they headed towards the front doors to The Westin. Even though the heatwave broke, sun still shone through the rain clouds, causing a weird mixing of heat and rain to surface and cause Anya's hair all sorts of trouble. But she really couldn't care much as she stepped out into the rain with Ryland. In fact, it kind of felt nice. So she let her hair down, running her fingers through the tangled curls, letting them get wet as well as turning her cheek to the sun.

"God I hope so." Ryland replied as he watched her decompress a bit. It was absolutely marvelous to him that even though her hair was wild and messy, it was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. As she tossed the strawberry blond locks over her shoulder and slid into the passenger seat of his Camaro, Ryland resisted the urge to reach over and run his fingers through her hair for himself. "All I know is I'm hungry enough to eat a small child."

Anya laughed as she leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. Honestly she was proud of herself and it showed. So Ryland let her have a minute to herself, driving back home without saying a word; the only sound being the engine and New York City around them.

When they did arrive back at the tower it was like arriving home after a long trip. Ryland almost wanted to hit the cement garage ground and kiss the floor he'd learned to ride a bike on, learned to drive a car on and once broke his tailbone on. He was grateful the elevator ride up to the communal level didn't take twelve minutes like the elevator ride to Next Gen did. And once they were officially home, Ryland was so very, very thankful to flop down on the couch face first.

"Ryland?" Pepper called from the kitchen, appearing a minute later wiping her hands on a towel. "How are you kids? Tony said the mission is over?" she asked with a concerned look as she took a few steps into the living room where Anya and Ryland both laid across the couch lazily.

"Yeah the mission is complete." Anya replied tiredly, looking over her shoulder at Pepper. "But I'd rather eat than discuss it. Any chance there's something in there I can devour?"

"Sorry, just me." Florence said as she too peeked her head out the kitchen door. "What don't you guys want to talk about?"

Ryland steam rolled over her questions, pulling himself off the couch to walking over to pick up Florence and throw her over his shoulder. "Fine then I'll eat you if that's all that's in the kitchen." he said as she giggled. He bit her thigh and she squealed even if it didn't hurt.

"I'll call Steve down, I'm sure he can whip up something for you two." Pepper said with a smile as she watched Ryland and Florence. Even though his charade of eating the eleven-year-old was done he still carried her there over his shoulder like she weighed an ounce. "That way you don't have to eat Florence."

"I think I'd taste nice." Florence mused as Ryland set her back down and righted the shirt she was wearing. She and Pepper headed back to the kitchen to finish up whatever they were doing and call down Steve, so Ryland returned to the couch, sitting closer to Anya than necessary.

"Ace...today you were-" Ryland started to say but she held up a hand to stop him. "Too soon?" he wondered aloud and she just nodded. So he let it drop but promised himself to bring it back up again later when she was more willing to accept the overwhelming flow of compliments he was ready to spew.

The elevator dinged a moment later and Steve emerged with Mickey and Bruce on his heels. Soon enough though the whole team sans Clint was upstairs. For the sake of Irina, Charlotte and Florence, and maybe for Anya and Ryland's sake as well, they didn't talk about the mission or make it too obvious they were all relieved the couple was home safe. But Jane hugged Anya a little tighter than necessary and Tony kept his hands on Ryland's shoulders for almost a half-hour.

Finally, after eating a larger meal than she thought she could, Anya wondered down the hall in search of her father. The communal level had a multitude of rooms no one really used any more and Clint wasn't in any of them and Natasha said he wasn't upstairs in the apartment. So Anya headed to the elevator and went straight for the gym, expecting to find him either punching the daylights out of a sandbag or firing away in the range.

"Daddy?" she mumbled as she entered the gym. She looked around but didn't find him until she heard a clink and a thump before Clint dropped to the ground behind her. She didn't even want to know where he was or how he got there, instead just turned to smile at him.

Anya expected her dad to have an emotional reaction to her homecoming but she didn't expect to get a little choked up herself when Clint wrapped her in a hug so tight she almost couldn't breath. Usually she'd chuckle and mention what a softy he could be, but instead she turned her face into his shoulder and held him even tighter. With her face in the crook of Clint's neck, Anya could still hear the click of Agent Shaw's gun as she cocked it and aimed for the back of her head.

"I'm okay," she whispered even when her voice broke. "You don't have to worry about me."

Clint pulled back far enough to run his hands through her hair, smiling a little as he looked her in the eye- eyes that looked so much like his. "You're my Little Bird, I'm always going to worry about you no matter what." Anya smiled softly, taking a deep breath and smelling the scent of his cologne. "So tell me..." Clint started off, still watching her carefully. "Being an agent still worthwhile?"

Anya let herself think it through a minute. After everything, no one would blame her for being a tad intimidated or even scared. No one would even think twice if she decided to take a break from S.H.I.E.L.D. at least for a little while. But the longer Anya thought it through the less frightened she grew. So she nodded slowly, saying, "Yeah, it is."

It took a few minutes for Clint to react but soon enough he sighed and turned to wrap his arm around her shoulders, guiding them to the elevator. "Well then you're more like me than I thought."

XXX

Tony was trying to cook. Well bake, rather. And it was probably the funniest thing Pepper had ever witnessed. So she just sat on the counter watching him literally cover himself in flower in an attempt to make cookies. "How is this so hard?" he wondered aloud as he turned on the mixer and powder kicked up in his face. Pepper had to cover her face to keep from laughing at him as he struggled to turn the mixer back off again.

"MIT graduate, huh?" Pepper teased as she giggled at his pathetic attempts. He shot a look over his shoulder which only served to make Pepper giggle harder. But he was determined to figure it out. He had all the ingredients, the recipe and a genius IQ damn it.

He turned on the mixer again, this time shielding himself from the flower explosion. But when he went to scoop the "dough" onto a baking sheet it came out runny and almost watery. Tony threw his head down on the counter with a defeated sigh. "Why is this so hard!?" he yelped, throwing in the towel- literally. He tossed aside the hand towel he held and scooted onto the counter beside Pepper. "Help?" he asked quietly, giving her the best Stark puppy face.

Pepper chuckled, kissing him once before hopping down off the counter and starting work to fix the mess Tony made. She had to start from scratch because Tony's batch was a hopeless cause but at least she knew what she was doing. As she baked, Tony reached into his back pocket and pulled out a brochure. "This whole mission thing distracted us from our plan, huh?" he mused aloud as he flipped through the pages for the one-hundredth time. It was an accordion fold pamphlet but Tony had it folded six different ways and all crinkled up from opening and closing and reopening it so often.

"Yeah it did," Pepper assented as she worked, whipping up a batch of dough in less time than it took Tony to read the directions. "But we're still going to talk about it, right?" She peeked over at him, licking dough from her thumb.

"Of course," Tony replied immediately. "I definitely want to look into this. If anything this mission with Anya and Ryland cemented my view on the whole thing."

Pepper smiled a little to herself as she scooped dough rounds onto cookie sheets and placed them in the oven. She set the timer and was done remarkably fast, a fact that made Tony bitter but he kissed her anyway. "Me too," she finally said when she was done baking. "We'll do it right this time." Just as Tony leaned in to kiss her again Anya skidded into the kitchen.

"Oops," she whispered, catching them in the middle of their kiss. "I didn't realize anyone was up here, sorry."

"That's alright," Pepper said, pulling away with a smile. "Tony was trying to bake."

Anya made a face caught somewhere between amusement and horror. Tony wanted to defend himself but honestly he just couldn't. Baking wasn't his specialty. So he'd stick to inventing things and flying around as Iron Man and leave the baking and general upkeep and care to Pepper. He might technically be the genius of the family but Pepper was the brains.

"Hey, good job today, kiddo." Tony said, turning a smile to Anya and reaching over for a fist bump that she grudgingly returned. "Ryland said you were amazing and by all accounts I believe him. What you had to do must've been hard, but you certainly did the right thing."

"Yeah well..." Anya brushed it off with a half smile and a blush. "I had great back-up. Ryland was amazing too."

Tony covered the look he wanted to shoot Pepper by saying, "You two make a great couple." choosing his words very carefully. Anya looked up at him then with a serious expression. She was trying to read him, trying to figure out what he was saying when he wasn't talking at all. But it didn't look like she was understanding much of anything at the moment. So Tony hopped off the counter to walk over and place both his hands on her shoulders.

"You are like a daughter to me." he said in a moment of surprisingly serious sincerity. "And nothing will every change that. You'll always be little Ace and Ryland will always be my Little Man. But together...well together you're...Aceland!"

Breaking up the serious moment with humor made Anya feel a million times better so she smiled even as she shook her heads. "You're nuts, Uncle Tony." she replied before reaching up to kiss his cheek. "But thank you. You are my family, you both are. I don't know where I'd be without you."

"Cookie-less." Pepper said as she pulled a sheet of golden brown cookies from the oven. She slid one off the sheet and placed it on a napkin to hand to Anya. "Here," she said as she handed over the treat. "I think you've earned yourself a reward."

Anya thanked her and took the cookie, unable to eat it due to it's temperature but excited to devour it soon enough. She said goodnight to the two of them and headed away from the kitchen but paused long enough to catch a little bit more of their conversation when they thought she was gone.

"It's just a matter of time now." Pepper said softly as she slid more cookies from the sheet and onto a cooling rack. "I feel like it was just yesterday we were picking on them for holding hands at the park and pretending to be married when they were six."

"It_ was _just yesterday," Tony consented. "But at the same time it's been a long time coming. Watching the two of those idiots pine for each other but refuse to admit it- or see it- has gotten very old. I'm ready for them to just give up and become Aceland."

"Stop it with the nickname!"

"It's cute and clever!" Tony snapped and Pepper giggled before reaching over to kiss his jaw. "Besides, if we go through with this plan of ours, Ryland is going to need someone to keep his head on straight, and who does that better than Ace?"

"I wonder how he'll react..." Pepper wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure. Part of me thinks he'll be excited, but the other part thinks he'll be confused and maybe upset. But I guess we'll just have to wait and find out." Tony replied. "But lets not tell him until we're certain this is going to work out. I don't want him reacting to getting a little sibling until it's certain he might."

"Deal," Pepper responded immediately. Silence lingered for a minute longer before she giggled softly. "Aceland," she scoffed. "You're such an idiot sometimes, Tony."

"I ship it."

* * *

Author's Note: Tony is an Aceland shipper. Dahlia, Florence, Irina and Tony all ship it, not to mention everyone else besides Clint lol There is no Polyvore set for this chapter :/ But if you wanna check out my Twitter or Tumblr you can find me under the handle Samitballi :)

Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note: I am dealing with some server writers block. I don't even have the next chapter written! Since the mission is complete, now we're just dealing with the after-effects and sweeping everything up so I can end the story. However I have no idea what I want to do next LOL So if the next update is closer to 5 days than 3 I apologize in advanced.

**Review Reviews:**

**GhostGlowLight: **I've always been a fan of Wolverine :) Lol I hear you loud and clear!

**Punk Angel's Dream: **Thanks for taking the time to review! I just couldn't resist the urge to throw in some Anya/Clint adorable-ness, cause, c'mon...who doesn't love Daddy!Hawkeye? ;) Thanks!

**KMPcool: **I figured after everything and all the stress, a nice calm chapter was needed :)

**KristenGall1998: **I am only here to give you what you want ;)

**Emrys90: **Aceland is Tony's OTP ;) Out of everyone I just thought Tony would absolutely be bold enough to mention it straight to her face. Was the small roller coaster worth it? ;)

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **Tony needs an OTP too, and he's chosen Aceland- he's chosen wisely. Yeah Clint isn't NEAR Tony's level of excitement, but I think Hawkass will surprise you :) Thanks!

**Chaos Reigner: **Thanks! Sneaky sneaky Pepperony ;)

**kimbee: **Of course Tony ships Aceland! They are already married (thought I don't remember if I ever actually touched on that haha) but now they're possibly looking into adopting.

**discordchick: **The Clint/Anya moment is my favorite! That's nice. Ryland is old enough for a baby sibling to be a bit awkward but given the nature of the whole family, I think that's the least strange thing of all ;)

**jeffhardyfan93: **Haha it's okay, not many people saw it coming. Daddy!Clint is kind of the best thing ever. And Irina is so out of the loop haha

**Morgan: **In my head, Tony is just like us lol he's definitely the kind of guy who would "ship it" haha Thanks!

**maggie: **Thank you very much :)

**marvelgirl88: **Thank you so much for reading it all! There is definitely some action headed their way ;)

**Lollypops101: **I may just steal that idea ;) Lol I can absolutely picture that happening- all the guys drooling over Ace and all the girls pissed cause Ryland's only got eyes for her. *oh* that gave me feels! lol Thanks :)

**LeKins004: **Thank you! I try not to leave you guys hanging. It gets difficult at times to update regularly, but all the support I get from you guys is what makes such regular updates worth while :)

**What the Valhala: **Catching up is both the best and worst feeling ever haha but thanks for taking the time to read/review! They are thinking about adoption, which is why Tony has that pamphlet and why he says they don't want to tell him until they are certain he'll be getting a little sibling. Sorry it took me so long to get this up! Hell of a day :/ Thanks for the Tumblr follow!

**Sasha: **Tony is keeping of Aceland shippers! Yess! lol that's perfect, he's a great king ;) They still aren't sure if they'll go through with the adoption but just the idea of another Pepperony baby makes me happy- and it certainly will be an adjustment for Ryland. My favorite moment was the Clint/Anya see too ;)

**Jenna: **Thank you :)

Author's Note: At the end of this chapter Ryland listens to the song _Love_ by _John Lennon _which I really suggest you look up (you can YouTube or Spotify it) to listen to while you read the last bit of the chapter. I wrote the scene while listening to the song and, let me tell you, p.e.r.f.e.c.t. combo ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Rome**..._

_Everyone really started getting worried when Anya and Ryland didn't even make it home for dinner. Irina convinced everyone they were fine, and they made dinner at the villa. But when Clint and Pepper were doing the dishes and no one could get a hold of either of the kids, they started freaking out._

"_They are old enough to be out on their own." Tony said from his spot at the kitchen island. "But they are also old enough to get into a heap of trouble out there on their own."_

"_I just wish I could call them." Natasha replied as she tried, yet again, to call Anya's cell phone. It was going straight to voicemail so she knew the phone must be dead, but she felt like trying again and again if just because that's all she could do._

"_I'm sure if they had access to a phone they'd call." Irina added. She wasn't as worried as the others, though she was a tad worried. Mostly she just figured they got caught up sight-seeing or shopping or whatever it was they were doing and lost track of time. No way anything truly bad could happen to her sister without Irina feeling it._

"_That's not a comforting thought." Clint mumbled as he spot-cleaned a pot. "There's a million reasons why they wouldn't have access to a phone and I don't like a single one of them."_

"_Maybe we should go looking for them?" Pepper suggested apprehensively._

"_It'd turn into a sitcom faster than you could imagine." Tony retorted. "We go in one door, they come out the other. We go in the other door, they go through the first one. And on and on and on and no one knows who's on first."_

"_What!?" Irina asked, completely bewildered. Tony just used her to make his point._

"_See."_

_Then just like that the front door opened. The only reason they heard it from the kitchen was because the left window shook when the door closed to hard and there was a plant hanging by the window that hit the wall when it shook. They heard both the window and the plant, then called out Anya and Ryland's names._

"_Hey, it's us." Anya called back easily, like they hadn't missed a thing. Everyone exchanged a look before rushing to the entrance hall to greet the kids._

"_Where in god's name have you been?" Natasha demanded as she stood before the two of them with her hands on her hips. No matter how close Natasha and Anya were, Nat could flip a switch and turn into Mama Bear dangerously fast._

"_Sorry, Mom, we got caught up." Anya explained lamely, pulling a face. "We got a little lost and wound up just catching dinner in the city. We would've called but both our phones died."_

"_Yeah and then they were having a fireworks show." Ryland cut-in. "It was my idea to stay, so be mad at me not Ace. We are sorry though."_

_Pepper sighed as she said, "We're not mad just worried."_

"_Next time figure out a way to let us know what's up, kiddo." Clint told Anya as he ran a hand through her hair. "You really freaked us out. You know me, I jump to the worst conclusion first. And Nat's no better."_

"_I tried asking the waiter if we could borrow the cafe's phone but he didn't understand me and my Italian needs work." Anya replied with a little chuckle. She and Ryland exchanged a look that didn't go unnoticed by Irina._

"_Ho un telefono means something in Italian but I don't think it meant what we wanted it to." Ryland teased Anya with a wink. She shoved his arm playfully as she brushed her hair back and insisted that the waiter wasn't speaking proper Italian._

"_I got telefono right." she grumbled with a chuckle. Ryland just smiled at her but Irina was highly aware his smile had changed. She couldn't place it, dedicated herself in that minute to finding out, but it was certainly different. Wider maybe? Brighter perhaps? He didn't smile that way at her, that's for sure. In fact...Ryland never smiled at anyone that way. No one besides Anya._

"_Well while you two were off having an adventure..." Tony started before launching into a story about his day. Everyone turned towards the living room where they could all sit together and talk but before Irina turned the whole way she caught Ryland hook his finger in Anya's belt loop and pull her close to him. He bent down to whisper something in her that made her giggle and when she reached up to cover her mouth, a watch Irina never saw her wear before slid partly down her wrist._

XXX

Anya had to talk to Irina. She couldn't put it off any more, she just had to do it. But she so very badly did not want to. Walking down the hallway to Irina's bedroom felt like a walk straight into hell but she took those steps anyway and eventually knocked on the wooden door. Sweet Disposition was playing on the other side but Irina still heard the knock and pulled open the door a second later.

"Hey, Ace, what's up?" she asked as she moved back into the room. When Irina was born she got Anya's nursery and Anya moved down the hall to the spare bedroom. They changed the walls from pink and gray to lilac and they expanded the closet when Irina got old enough to over fill it. There was still an extra bedroom on the other side of the apartment that went from a just-in-case nursery (if Natasha accidentally got pregnant again) to a study for the girls when they started school and needed a place to do homework. But other than that, the apartment hadn't changed much at all. A new coat of paint went on the living room a few years ago and the furniture changed every year or so but it still felt like the same place Anya grew up. And stepping into Irina's room felt like a step into the past when she used to hang in Natasha's arms, Shchenok in her clutches as Natasha sang a Russian lullaby and let her watch out the long window by the bed.

"Can we talk?" Anya asked as she looked about the room. There was always something new no matter how often she joined her sister in the lilac room.

"Mute," Irina said aloud and the music turned off. "You look serious. What's up?"

Anya sat down on the couch by Irina's three floor-to-ceiling windows. The curtains were drawn back so she could see a bit of New York down below. "I gotta talk to you about what's been going on lately. Why I haven't been around much." Anya said softly. For some reason Irina got a little excited as she squirmed into her bed, grabbing a pillow to scrunch up in her lap.

"Go on," she said with a poorly hidden smile.

Anya quirked an eyebrow but continued with her story anyway. "The reason I haven't been around, the reason I missed that party, the reason Thor came home, it's all connected. And it's all because I've been with Ryland."

Anya paused a second, trying to come up with the right words but Irina took it as an opportunity to say, "I know," softly. Anya immediately looked up at her sister with wide eyes. "What was it supposed to be some sort of secret?"

"Well yes!" Anya replied with the utmost shocked expression.

"Sorry," Irina said but she was clearly not sorry. "but I overheard Mom and Dad talking about it. It's not hard to put the pieces together. I mean, how long have we been waiting for this to happen?"

Anya had to literally shake away the surprise she felt, chuckle a little as she ran her hands through her hair. "Wow. You know. I didn't expect that."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know...I thought you'd be upset, or angry, or something other than excited."

Irina just chuckled. "Of course I'm excited! This is a big step for you two. So...give me the details. Who asked who first?"

That's when Anya's expression turned from shocked to confused. Really, really confused. "Wait...what?"

Irina rolled her eyes, saying, "You and Ryland! Who asked who out first?" she said is if this was an obvious question to ask. And for a minute Anya was just too confused for the information to sink in; but when it did she almost fell of the couch.

"No, Rina! Ryland and I aren't dating! We're working for S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

It was Irina's turn to get really, really confused. "_What_!?" she squeaked, tossing aside the pillow in her lap and scooting to the edge of the bed as if leaning closer to Anya would give her answers sooner.

Anya resisted the urge to chuckle as she began explaining everything that had happened. Sparring the gory and confidential details, Anya told Irina of the mission and her partnership with Ryland. Though going back over everything that had happened made Anya realize how easy it was for Irina to make the short jump to them being in a relationship.

"Whoa," Irina finally mumbled when Anya was finished telling the whole story. Anya just nodded, giving her sister the time she needed to come to terms with everything that had just been said. But instead of asking if Anya was okay or anything like that, Irina looked up and said, "But I wasn't way off to assume you were together."

Anya just picked up an owl shaped pillow from the couch and threw it at Irina's head. "_That's_ what you ask me!? After everything I just told you, _that_ is what you're concerned about?"

Irina laughed as the pillow hit her square in the face and knocked her backwards onto the bed. "Clearly you're health status is fine! I'm more worried about your relationship status- it needs some life." she shot back at her sister who just laid down on the couch giggling. "Seriously. Just kiss the boy."

"I'm _not_ going to just kiss the boy."

"_Yes, you want him. Look at him you know you do!_" Irina started singing dramatically, only causing Anya more grief. "_It's possible he wants you too, there is one way to ask him._"

"Rina, knock it off!" Anya complained as she turned over face-down on the couch with a grumble. But Irina just leapt off the bed and scurried over to Anya.

"_It don't take a word, not a single word. Go on and kiss the boy!_" Irina kept singing until Anya literally tackled her to the floor. They fell to the floor with a thud and Irina let out a little screaming giggle as Anya landed on top of her. Grabbing another pillow off the couch, Anya tried suffocating her little sister who just kept singing through her giggles. That's how Natasha found them when she opened the door.

"Should I be concerned by what's happening right now?" she asked curiously as she stood in the door way with a blank expression.

"Help!" Irina yelped through a giggle, flailing all about underneath Anya who easily pinned her down.

"Shh, it'll hurt less if you don't struggle." Anya whispered creepily and Irina burst out laughing. Natasha was still absolutely confused but chuckling nonetheless when Anya looked up and said, "You saw nothing here."

Natasha's laughing could be heard even after she backed out slowly and closed the door. Anya finally let up on Irina, rolling onto the floor beside her still giggling. "But seriously," Irina said after a minute to calm herself down. "I'm glad you're okay."

Anya looked over at her little sister with a sincere smile. They both leaned in for a hug as Anya said, "Thanks," and just for fun, added, "You weren't too far off." under her breath.

"I knew it!" Irina cheered loudly again. Anya laughed as she pulled herself upright and went for the door. "Hey, Ace?"

"Yeah?" Anya turned back around to see Irina's serious expression.

Irina hesitated for a millisecond before murmuring, "It happened in Rome, didn't it?"

Anya knew exactly what her sister was asking. The change. Everyone saw it, even Anya and Ryland themselves. Even if they tried ignoring it, even if they refused to admit it, they still saw that change. The way holding hands became more meaningful, the way their smiles got a little wider, the way their hugs lasted a little bit longer, and the way their eyes got even brighter. Getting lost in Rome was definitely when it happened. So Anya nodded once to her little sister who, surprisingly enough, didn't comment any further.

"Yeah it did." Anya admitted before ducking out of the room and closing the door. Clint and Natasha had Budapest; Ryland and Anya had Rome.

"Everything okay?" Natasha asked softly, appearing behind Anya as she stood in the hallway between her door and Irina's. She didn't want to go to bed- couldn't sleep. But she had nowhere else to go.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Anya lied. Everything was fine with her and Irina, but everything certainly wasn't fine with Ryland. "I think I'm going to go to the balcony. Goodnight." she said softly, smiling at her understanding mother before heading to the elevator.

The balcony connected to the communal level so everyone had access and it was big enough to be considered a deck so they occasionally had cook-outs in the summer when everyone was home. There was a grill out there and Tony had a pizza oven built into the brick wall by the door, along with chairs, tables and even a tee-pee Bruce built Anya when she went through an Indian phase as a kid. Anya would always go outside and sit for a while, just looking up at the sky and out at the city, when she couldn't sleep or when she'd had a bad dream. After a certain age, going to Natasha after a nightmare seemed childish so she'd started going out to the balcony even if it was snowing.

The rain had since stopped falling, leaving everything just sort of damp and the air sort of thick. But Anya didn't care at all, she just needed something to calm her down. So she pushed through the swiveling glass door, kicking it shut with her heel once she was outside. The air was thick enough that taking a deep breath was sort of difficult but the height of the balcony brought wind so that helped cool her down a little as she went to the railing.

She was just wearing capri leggings and a lose gray pull over that fluttered in the light breeze. Her hair also fluttered, brushing against her cheek and tangling together as she pushed it behind her ear. Feeling alone in a city of 8,336,697 seemed like an oxymoron but in that moment Anya felt utterly alone. Until the door swung open again behind her.

"You okay?" a gentle voice asked from behind Anya so she turned, only able to nod a little at Ryland who had a pretty concerned look on his face.

"Just thinking," she mumbled, biting the corner of her nail. Ryland stepped up beside her, moving her hand from her lips and asking what she was thinking of. She couldn't look him in the eye as she said, "You know...just everything...all that happened...all that could've happened."

Ryland nodded in agreement looking out over the balcony. From the tower they could see almost all of New York. The people and cars below looked like ants and matchbox cars rather than real life things. But looking out at the night skyline, a sense of eerie calm settled over Any and Ryland.

"Everyone down there," he mumbled. "has no idea what could've happened today. They don't know that life as we know it could've ended today. Technically...we're heroes and yet no one knows it."

Anya chuckled a little, a hint of bitterness in the sound. "It's better this way. If anyone knows what could've happened...I don't even wanna think of would happen then."

Suddenly Ryland flipped her around, turning her to face him square on. When Anya looked up their noses touched and she fought the urge to pull him in closer while simultaneously wanting to pull back. Ryland rested both his hands on the railing either side of her and looked her dead between the eyes as he said, "You were extraordinary today, Ace. Don't roll your eyes, you really were. And I'm not just talking about the way you tackled Brant, I mean the way you handled yourself. You were calmer than I've ever seen you before."

Anya smiled a little, ducking her head to break eye contact. Ryland tucked a curl behind her ear and tilted her chin up again. "I just needed one minute." She whispered, looking up at him with big blue eyes. She wiggled her wrist and Ryland's watch made a jingling noise. "Just one minute to find myself again."

"Whoever gave you that advice was a very wise person." Ryland replied softly, leaning in just a little bit closer to her. Anya smiled again as she agreed with him.

"I think he's pretty great." They stood there together in silence for a minute, the sounds of the city floating up from the ground. Ryland still had earbud headphones in so he removed one and placed it in her ear, John Lennon's _Love_ serenading them both. Anya didn't hesitate to step away from the railing with him, her hand in his and their chests close together. They stepped to the left and then to the right then back again, slowly turning in a circle together. She turned her hand over to lace their fingers together and bring their hands between their chests. Anya rested the side of her face on his as they continued their slow dance on the balcony.

"The mission is finished," Anya whispered almost afraid to raise her voice any higher. That promise Ryland had made lingered in her mind since the minute he made it and when she looked him in the eye she knew it was stuck in his mind as well. She gulped before finally just asking, "Aren't you going to ask me out?"

Ryland's face was surprisingly emotionless but his eyes were on fire. He didn't even hesitate to say, "I'll do you one better..." then frame her face with his hands. It was like a movie; Anya saw him lean in to kiss her, felt the heat of his hands and knew what was happening but she felt so disconnected from herself. Ever since she saw Brant outside the Westin she felt like she was watching the minutes tick by in someone else's life. But then Ryland's lips finally touched hers and she snapped back to reality.

He was soft, gentle and he sort of tasted like spearmint. He ran his thumb along her cheekbone as his lips pressed against hers more firmly, their bodies also pressing together. Anya was the perfect height to wrap her arms around his waist, her palms flat against the base of his spine as she lifted up on her tipy-toes to better reach to kiss him back. It was electric and powerful and when they pulled back neither had a trace of doubt.

"Don't stop," she whispered close enough to him that he could almost taste the words on his lips. He looked down at her before capturing her lips again, pushing her back against the railing in the process. The sound she made was the sweetest he'd ever heard so he kissed her harder, turning his head to the side and twisting his fingers in the tight curls at the back of her neck. Anya just felt right pinned under him and Ryland got a little swept up in the moment, kissing a trail across her chin and down her neck. But she wasn't stopping him, in fact she grabbed a fist-full of his shirt, making that same insatiable sound again.

When they did pull back Ryland couldn't catch his breath. He was literally gasping for air, his eyes still closed as he leaned his forehead against Anya's. Nothing had ever felt quite as good as that. He couldn't find the right words to describe it, couldn't even figure out how to understand it, and judging by the look in Anya's eyes, she couldn't either. So they just stood there a few minutes longer in the silence of New York below them. The wind blew Anya's curls around, clouding her eyes and hitting Ryland in the face but he didn't move back, just brushed them aside so he could look her in the eye.

"You okay?" he whispered so softly she almost missed it. Finding her voice seemed impossible so Anya's reply was to just curl into him, her head finding the crook of his neck as she hugged him close. Ryland's arms closed around her like a protective barrier and Anya never felt safer.

"Better than okay."

* * *

Author's Note: FINALLY! Am I right? lol, I hope it was everything you wanted it would be ;)

As always, you can check out a set from this chapter on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) under the title Linchpin: 17 :)

Thanks!


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: I finally wrote it guys! My writer's block lifted and I finished the chapter! It is, by far, not my best work at all. But it's the next chapter I promised day's ago. I'm sorry it took so long. I have half the next chapter already written though so we should be back to our regular scheduling :)

**Review Reviews:**

**maggie: **Thanks! I'm glad you liked it :)

**GhostGlowLight:** Thank you :)

**Jenna: **Thanks, it took me a while but the writer's block is lifting.

**ILoveIceCream: **It's about damn time haha I love Polyvore, it's so useful for writing. Thank you :)

**kimbee: **It only took 17 chapters ;) I'm glad it was perfect for you. Out of everyone, Clint and Natasha were the last people I could see adopting, followed closely by Tony and Pepper. For some reason I just couldn't picture it, so I decided to write it and see if it works haha

**WhatTheValhalla: **Haha you've been shipping it for so long! I'm glad you liked it though. Irina is pretty much the voice of Aceland shippers, trying to get Anya to admit her feelings ;)

**discordchick: **Thank you :) Haha yeah it took a while, but it's finally happening!

**KMPcool: **Thank you very much. I like detailed kisses ;)

**Lollypops101: **Haha they certainly would be spying too ;) Thanks!

**ramsayreader: **I'm sure any of the girls in the tower could get men with ease, it's their daddies that'll get in the way haha There's going to be 2 or 3 more chapters and an epilouge after this. And I haven't decided yet if I'll make another story.

**jeffhardyfan93: **Haha Irina and Dahlia ship it pretty darn hard lol

**The Madrigal: **It's been a long time coming, huh ;)

**KristenGall1998: **Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. But I'm glad you liked the last :)

**LeKins004: **I'm glad you liked it! There's something about slow dancing and kissing near the top of a skyscraper in New York city that not only screams romance, but also Aceland ;) Yeah they can't go back now lol

**Morgan: **Haha I re-read what I write all the time. Thank you so much :)

**Punk Angel's Dream: **I'm glad it lived up to your expectations! Waiting so long for a kiss can sometimes make that scene better, no? Daddy!Hawkeye finding out will be a fun scene to write ;) Thanks, yeah writer's block sucks. I always tend to get stuck towards the end of the story cause I never want to end them :/

**marvelgirl88: **Thank you :)

**Sasha: **Aww thanks! I think there's a fine line between detailed and disgusting when it comes to kissing/make-out/sex scenes in stories lol I wanted the scene to be detailed enough that you could picture it in your head but I didn't want to describe too much haha I'm glad you liked it though! I love Anya and Irina's relationship, it's so special :) Haha Rome was an interesting time...

**KayHawkGirl: **Haha that's pretty fitting for them! Thanks :)

Author's Note: Okay so I want to get 2 or 3 more chapters and an epilogue out of this story yet. I still haven't decided if I'll write a part three or what it'd even be about so I can't promise more at this time. But until then, here's some more Aceland ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

When they finally left the balcony, Ryland walked Anya back to her apartment; if just because leaving her side after that first kiss felt slightly impossible. They stood outside the door a minute too long, just leaning into each other in something caught between a hug and a cuddle. Then Anya reached up on her tippy-toes and grabbed his chin, kissing him one last time to make him smile before she walked through the double doors leading into the apartment.

"I really _wasn't_ that far off, was I?" Irina said out of nowhere, giving Anya the start of a lifetime. She almost fell over she jumped so high, cursing under her breath. Irina was almost giddy-proud of herself as she watched Anya try to come up with some legitimate response.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" Anya pleaded seriously, giving her little sister the same look she always used to when Irina was in trouble. It was almost a glare but mostly just a motherly expression that made Irina feel like a little kid again.

"Why not? It's really not that big of a deal." Irina replied as she followed Anya back to her bedroom where Anya turned down her bed and went about getting read to sleep.

"It's a big deal to us," Anya told her as she went to her bathroom to wash her face, hoping Irina would get the picture and go to bed herself. However Irina just followed her, leaning against the doorway already in her pajamas. "And I don't know what any of this means yet. Just give us a minute to catch our breath before you go running around telling everyone and their mother's uncle, okay?"

Irina made a face as she said, "Like I would!" then realized she really would. So she reconciled with a pinky-promise not to tell anyone- yet. Anya just went about putting mosturizor on her skin and brushing her teeth, all the while Irina stood in the doorway with a serious expression. She half-turned to leave but before she turned the rest of the way around she looked back at Anya and said, "Hey, Ace," quiet enough Anya almost didn't hear it.

"Yeah, Rina?" Anya turned towards her sister, surprised to see the serious expression on her face. She sat her toothbrush aside to give Irina all of her attention even though she was a little worried what would come next. Even knowing her baby sister better than herself, Anya never knew what to expect from Irina's serious moments.

Irina smiled softly as she said, "I'm glad you chose Ryland. You deserve someone who'll treat you right...you deserve to be happy." gently. It took a second for Anya's smile to blossom but the only reaction that seemed fitting was to wrap Irina up in a tight hug. Anya threw her arms around her sister's neck and hugged her close, tucking Irina's head into her shoulder as she all but squeezed the life out of her.

Irina laced her arms around Anya's waist and held her close while Anya whispered, "Thanks, Rina." almost directly in her ear as they nestled close together. They stood that way for a minute longer before pulling apart for a quick goodnight kiss. Anya was already in bed by the time Irina got to the door but she didn't get to sleep without hearing one last comment from her baby sister.

"Good luck sleeping after the evening you've had." was the last thing Irina said, accompanied by a melodic giggle, before she closed Anya's door to give her sister privacy as she tried so very hard to sleep. But alas, she barely got a few hours in before she finally just threw the covers back and decided to get up. Counting backwards in her head, Anya groaned at the sleep she'd missed out on but smiled at the reason why. Honestly, she'd spent a good part of the night just rolling around her mattress smiling like an idiot and touching her lips as if that would somehow bring Ryland's back to them.

But she had to stifle all those girly, teenage-love feelings as she headed to communal level for breakfast. Which was...awkward, if just because Anya and Ryland were making a spectacle of themselves by trying not to make a spectacle of themselves. They avoided each other like the plague, refusing to even look at each other all morning. But it really wasn't working because everyone was hyper aware of everything they did. Of course Dahlia was eating it up, watching like a hawk, smiling the whole time. Irina, next to her, kept elbowing Florence in the side to point out something else either Anya or Ryland did. Eventually though breakfast finished and the couple separated like shrapnel. Ryland headed back to his room while Anya just fled, all eyes on both of them.

"JARVIS," Ryland said aloud as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom. "Turn on the news for me, would'ya?" Just as Ryland entered his bedroom, the TV on the wall to his left tuned into NY1. Ryland made his way into the room, navigating a mess of clothes and tech and everything else he threw on the floor on a daily basis. Heaving a sigh, he went to the corner of his room and turned on the robot he made as a child.

"Hey, Ben." he said with a nostalgic smile as the robot booted up. "Clean this crap up, man." he commanded and though it took a minute the little robot went about cleaning up after Ryland so he could sit and watch the news all morning.

Ryland wasn't entirely sure what he was watching to see considered they stopped Brant and Shaw's attack but he watched anyway. He watched a story about the R Train tunnel repair, a story about a Harlem marathon for the elderly and even a Cooking-At-Home sequence. But they never mentioned the incident- or almost incident- at The Westin or even Xiu's arrival to the city. Of course they wouldn't, only S.H.I.E.L.D. knows what happened. But Ryland just felt the need to check and make sure.

When the program was over he turned it off and changed into a pair of Nike shorts and a blue v-neck. While Ben finished cleaning up Ryland's mess, he sat on his bed lacing up his sneakers. After everything he needed to hit the gym and unwind a bit. So he told Ben to clean up the bathroom while he was at it then headed out of the apartment. Tony and Pepper were just getting ready to leave as well so they rode the elevator together; Pepper going down to the garage, Tony going to R&D and Ryland to the gym.

No one said a word the whole ride until Ryland stepped out on the gym level and Tony called out, "Hey," throwing his hand against the door to insure it didn't close as Ryland stopped and turned back to his parents. "Are you okay?" Tony asked seriously, not even a hit of humor in his eyes. Ryland paused a second to really think about it but found he didn't have to.

"Better than okay." Ryland replied immediately and with a poorly hidden smile.

Tony didn't hesitate either. "Good," he said easily, nodding and removing his hand from the door. "Cause if you're okay, we're okay; and if you're happy, we're happy."

Ryland knew, even if Tony wasn't being obvious about it, that he was referring to him and Anya. Leave it to the senior Stark to know instantaneously. But it was nice knowing Tony had Ryland's back no matter what and that his parents would stand beside him through thick and thin. The only problem was he just couldn't find the words to tell them how grateful he was for them, so he wound up just smiling and mumbling, "Thanks," as the elevator doors closed. He'd just have to trust that they understood the real meaning of his pathetic appreciation.

Pushing aside the "conversation" he had, Ryland started stretching for his workout. Even if the mission as a whole got his adrenalin up way higher than it ever should be, he still felt the need to go hit something. So he started taping up his hands, getting ready to attack a punching bag, when something pinched his waist on both sides. He jumped, swinging backwards and missing Anya by a milometer as she chuckled.

"Easy, Tiger, it's just me." she said as she ducked away from his swing. She was in workout clothes as well, a pink sports bra under a blank tank and gray leggings fitted to her curves. Ryland took a second to appreciate just how fitted those leggings were before smiling and asking when she'd gotten to the gym. "Just a bit ago," she replied, helping him finish taping his hands. "I got in a little cardio already but I was headed to the bag myself. I still have some pent up adrenalin I gotta get out."

Anya finished taping his hands and Ryland started to stretch, tossing a curious look up at her. "Wanna spar?" he challenged but didn't need to ask twice. Anya was 100% game for a match, so she let him stretch a bit, taping up her hands in the meantime then when they were both ready, they hit the mat.

"Looser buys lunch." Anya set the stakes as she cracked her neck and stood in the far coroner of the fighting mat. Ryland walked over to the other corner, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck to get the kinks out before smiling wickedly at her.

"Alright," he agreed, pulling his right foot up behind him until his heel hit hit butt. "Winner gets another kiss."

"Deal," Anya replied almost immediately, gaining a look from Ryland. But he didn't have a chance to respond as she advanced towards him. They circled twice before Anya threw a punch, just barely nicking him but missing. Ryland tried punching her in the side but missed and wound up just slapping her butt. Anya laughed outright as she jumped backwards and said, "This is going to be an interesting fight."

Ryland laughed as he shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't try that but I'm not gonna say I didn't like it." he said before she threw a kick his way. He caught her foot and tried to spin her around but she somehow managed to twist them both and catch him off balance. They fell to the floor in a heap, Anya on top where she could grab his arm and get him in a submissive hold.

"So you like my butt just as much as I like yours, huh?" she asked as she pulled on his arm to make him wince. "Good to know."

"I've always liked your ass." Ryland replied before pulling out of her hold. They jumped up to their feet again and started circling. "I've just kept that little secret to myself."

"Oh? And what other..." Anya's sentence got cut-off when Ryland grabbed her arm and flung her down to the ground. Her grunt was louder than her fall and Ryland was on top of her in a second, pinning her to the mat with all of his weight. "...what other secrets have you been keeping?"

Ryland thought about it for a second, pushing his hips further into her and making her chuckle. "Remember when my dad switched Thor's shampoo with Nair? That wasn't my dad." Ryland mumbled before mouthing the words "It was me" and making Anya gasp.

"Thor was so pissed!" she exclaimed as she giggled. "It stormed for like a week straight cause of that."

"Yeah well I..." Ryland's sentence cut-off when Anya threw her leg out and got him in the crotch. His squeal was high enough to reverberate off the glass walls and make Anya giggle as she scurried out of his hold.

"You know I've got a few secrets of my own." Anya said as Ryland struggled upright. He had to take a second to breathe again but when he was finally okay again he took up his fight stance again. He threw a few punches her way, all of which she skillfully dodged, before finally asking what her secrets were. "Well they wouldn't be secrets if I told you, now would they?" she challenged before he landed a hit to her stomach that caught her off guard. He used the opportunity to throw her down to the mat. He jumped onto her, hoisting her leg almost over his shoulder and applying enough weight onto her that she almost couldn't breathe.

"That's okay," Ryland replied before Anya managed to flip them over so she was on top. "I'll get them out of you eventually." The way he said it made it seem more like a promise than a threat which made Anya raise her eyebrows but instead of replying she just let him squirm out of her hold and they popped up to their feet again. And so their dance continued and they sparred for almost an hour, throwing punches and kicks, sometimes really hurting each other, all the while talking as if their energy levels were infinite.

"I watched the news this morning." Ryland said breathlessly as they continued to circle each other almost an hour after their fighting had began. "No one knows a damned thing."

"Makes you wonder," Anya said as she threw a double punch, kick combo that Ryland skillfully dodged. "how many times something like this has happened and we've been the ones who didn't know." As she finished her sentence Ryland finally got a hold on her waist. They struggled a bit but he managed to throw her down to the mat and pin her down. She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and in such a close position Ryland could feel her chest hit his every time she took in a deep breath.

"I don't know..." She took a minute to catch her breath. "...how much more of this...I can take..." she admitted as she sucked in air desperately. She just laid there, not even trying to get out of his hold for a few minutes while Ryland looked down at her with a mischievous gleam in his eye. She felt like giving in and calling it quits but she'd be damned if she was going to let him win. So she Shrimped out of his hold and popped up to her feet. But Ryland staid down on all fours which gave her the opportunity to tackle him and get on top. She didn't throw him in a submissive hold though, just straddled his waist and pinned his arms down to the mat. Luckily he didn't struggle at all because she wouldn't be able to fight him off if he tried getting out from under her.

Ryland gasped for air as he laid under her, enjoying the view as well as the feel, even if he couldn't breathe anymore. "Me neither," he replied. Little beads of sweat dripped from the tip of her nose and the back of Ryland's neck was absolutely soaked. His shirt had changed colors from sweat and Anya's hair was a wreck but when he looked up at her, she was absolutely stunning.

"If I forfeit do I still get that kiss?" he asked deeply, looking her directly in the eye. Anya just smiled, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. She still had him pinned against the mat but she'd be stupid not to want that kiss more than the victory- and she _had_ spent all night thinking about a repeat of that first kiss. So she leaned in to press her lips to his but right before they actually touched Ryland grabbed her around the waist and flipped them over again so she was underneath him. The sound she made was something akin to a squeak that cemented Ryland's decision to just kiss her.

And that's what he did. He leaned in just far enough for their noses to touch, paused long enough for her to grow a tiny bit impatient, then kissed her hard enough to make her back arch.

"That's never gonna get old." she whispered dreamily as they laid their foreheads together. She reached up to kiss him again, her fingers tangled in his hair as if trying to keep him exactly where he was. When he went to pull away she just wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer, making him chuckle as he kissed her back.

"Easy, Tiger," he said, mimicking the same tone she'd used on him earlier. Anya giggled as she finally let him pull back far enough to sit on his heels. Her legs were still thrown over his hips as she laid on the mat in front of him. She let her eyes close, throwing her arms out and completely relaxing every muscle. Ryland just watched her, his hands on her thighs, wondering how on earth he managed to make it so long without kissing her before.

"Are we gonna try keeping this a secret?" he asked, absentmindedly rubbing nonsensical patterns over the fabric covering her thighs. "Cause breakfast was sort of horribly awkward."

Anya chuckled but had to agree. "It was, but I'm still not sure how Dad is going to react- or how anyone is going to react. Maybe we could keep it quite for a little while." Anya suggested, pulling herself up on her elbows to better look at him.

"Well," Ryland mumbled, moving to lean over her again, their faces almost close enough to touch. "I make no promises I'll be able to keep my hands off you for too long."

Just as Anya was about to reply they heard the elevator ding, alerting them to someone arriving at the gym. So they scrambled off each other, rolling to the sides as quickly as possible and looking like total idiots in the process. Of course Dahlia knew exactly what she walked in on even if they'd managed to put almost a foot between them. She just chuckled lightly, shaking her head at them.

"Oh hey, Lia, what's up?" Anya said awkwardly, breathing even heavier than she had while sparing with Ryland. She smiled the most ridiculous smile ever, way too wide to be normal and just...wrong.

"Don't we all know what's up?" Dahlia replied heavily, giving them a look. She couldn't help but make things more awkward for them by backing out of the room _slowly_, keeping creepy eye contact the whole time. She even tilted her head to the side to keep watching them as she slipped into the locker room.

Ryland laughed awkwardly, mumbling, "Oops" like a kid caught with his hand half-way in the cookie jar. Anya just rolled face down onto the mat as she listened to Dahlia whisper-shout "_yessss_!" from the locker room.

_So much for keeping it a secret_, she thought to herself.

* * *

Author's Note: Super huge thanks to WhatTheValhalla for not only keeping at me to update- which was ultimately the reason I finally cranked out this chapter- but also for the idea of Dahlia walking in on Aceland. I hope it was as good as you pictured it :) There actually is no Polyvore set for this chapter since it's just sleeping and working out lol

**But I need your help with something else: **Like I said ^^ at the top, I'm writing the end of this story now, so if there's anything else you've been dying to see, let me know now so I can add it. **Also**, if you guys want a third installment, let me know what you'd want it to be about. More Aceland? More fluff, no plot? One of the other siblings? Just leave a review and let me know what you want to see happen and I'll make it happen ;)

Thanks!


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: I'm currently stuck in a 'should-I-shouldn't-I' phase in regards to a third installment to the series. And the fact that I haven't made up my mind yet so close to the end of this story makes me think I should just end it here. But I haven't decided. I'll let you know when I do- whenever that is haha

**Review Reviews:**

**Linwe Ferland: **I'm glad you like it! I'll take that into consideration as I consider all my options :)

**WhatTheValhalla: **Dahlia and I are one lol we are the same :p That's an interesting idea. Though I'm not sure I'm going to make all the kids S.H.I.E.L.D. agents like Anya and Ryland, I'll keep that in mind :)

**marvelgirl88: **Their relationship does fascinate me so I will consider it. Thanks for the vote of confidence! It's nice to know you'll stick with it :)

**InsaneKids159: **Loki always fuckin shit up ;) haha Thanks for the suggestion!

**KMPcool: **Haha they really weren't going to have much luck in the "secret" department :p

**prontobadjuju: **Okay thanks for the suggestion. Any other kid in particular you'd like to see more from?

**Nate The Grate: **That's definitely an option. Would you rather it be a mythical bad guy or a human bad guy (like this story)? Thanks!

**Chaos Reigner: **I will try to add some more Pepperony to the end :) Thanks for the suggestions!

**discordchick: **I will certainly keep those ideas in mind! When I was preparing for this story I considered making Clint and Natasha come out of retirement for some reason but ditched the idea to focus on Aceland more- so making that part three intrigues me. Thanks :)

**Morgan: **Hahaha oh man that would be bad! Like really really really bad! I like it ;) lol

**(crazyninjagirl) Camilla: **Thanks :) I like your name!

**Lollypops101: **Haha good!

**BlueBanshee: **Thanks! I really enjoyed working out how to tell everyone in the family "the big news" and how Ryland and Anya would react to them knowing. Clint's reaction is coming up soon- the best for last ;) This chapter has a short Aceland mission just to show that they're back in the game and were able to get over what happened on their first go round. Thanks for the suggestions :)

**maggie: **Would you want that kind of third part to be fluffy and romantic then? I do like the idea of the girls- especially Dahlia- dating someone in the future. I did mention a Pepperony adoption though I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that info haha Thanks!

**kimbee: **Focusing on someone else in the family (like the twins) would certainly be interesting. I'm glad you still like my stories even with all the fluff! Thanks for the suggestions :) Haha yeah they aren't greatest secret keepers, huh? Oh man that would be a great scene! I think you'll like what I've got in mind for Clint though ;)

**imnotcraZyjustunique: **Sorry about that :/ Haha I know I can only imagine everyone talking in hushed whispers and the girls all shipping it lol! I will absolutely have to use the term Hawkward at some point for sure! Your excitement is exciting ;) If I do write a third installment I will keep those ideas in mind :) Thanks!

**Guest: **You'll get his reaction in one of the next chapters and I think you guys are gonna like it ;) Thanks!

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **Thanks! That would really be a 'happily ever after' :)

**Legolas: **Oh I don't know about full on smut. I'm not very good at writing smut in the first place and on top of that I sometimes remember Rye and Ace as little kids and that's creepy hahaha but I'll think about it. In the mean time there's some making out going on :)

**kendramccormick: **There's another 2 or 3 chapters and an epilogue after this one still to come. Thank you :)

**Guest: **There's plenty of Aceland in this chapter as well as the final ones that are coming up soon :)

**Sasha: **Thanks! My favorite relationships aside from Aceland are Tony/Ryland, Clint/Anya and Anya/Irina. I don't know why, but their scenes are all the funnest to write. I'm holding off on the "Clint Finds Out" scene but you'll get it soon. And I hope you'll like it :)

Author's Note: I just gotta mention I got 23 reviews on that last chapter and that makes me soooooo very very happy! Thank you a million times! I think I mentioned in the last update that there's going to be a few more chapters left but we're pretty much in the home stretch now. Thanks for making this story so much fun to write :)

Enjoy!

* * *

Director Fury tasked Anya and Ryland with another mission the very next week; though this one was less stressful than the first. They needed a chance to polish their surveillance technique together so he sent them to keep an eye on a foreign national sojourning in New York for two weeks. Fury gave them an apartment across from the building they were watching and all the equipment and resources they needed; all Ryland and Anya had to do was keep an eye on the twenty-something-year-old college student. They worked around Ryland's school schedule since he started summer courses after the Xiu mission was completed, which meant Anya spent almost 80% of her time alone in the shell of an apartment Fury gave them. Which also meant she had plenty of time to read _Through The Heat_, the manuscript version of Kellen's first novel. He was still in the process of writing it but he gave a copy to everyone in the tower and asked them all for their honest opinions. Of course honest opinions sounded more like praises from family members, but it was a damn good story. A romance, not too unfamiliar to Anya and Ryland's.

Somehow the two managed to keep their relationship a secret for a while. Of course Dahlia and Irina knew immediately, which followed the twins and Kellen finding out. It took only a few days longer for Tony and Pepper to confirm they knew as well. Natasha didn't even pretend not to notice but she was the last to find out for a few weeks. With Bruce, Danni, Steve, Mickey and Clint unaware, Ryland and Anya still had to be careful what they let the others see.

Movie nights or studying together as well as working out were normal activities everyone accepted. However the urge to curl up to Ryland's side during movie nights, or the desire to kiss him when he got that serious look on his face while studied, became uncontrollable. But they never risked too much physical contact around the family. Away of their watchful eyes was a whole different story though.

"Honey, I'm home!" Ryland greeted loudly as he walked through the front door of their small Bronx flat. Anya was at the window as always, her blue eyes covered by binoculars as she watched her "target" get ready for a dinner out. Though the young woman liked her parties and her social life, she luckily didn't have very many friends in the city so outings were rare; which meant Anya's job of keeping eyes on her was easy. "What's Our Girl up to now?" Ryland asked as he dropped his backpack on the kitchen counter right by the door. He walked up behind Anya and kissed her shoulder as she kept her eyes on the building next door.

"Getting ready to head out on a dinner date."

"Oh my god, did Pier finally ask her out?" Ryland gasped as he pulled up a stool next to her and grabbed his own binoculars. They'd been treating the mission like a soap opera, mildly invested in their target's life given they knew every detail.

"He called her this afternoon," Anya replied as she picked up the transcript of their target's most recent calls. Ryland flipped through them a few minutes, marveling at the immense number of text messages one woman could send in one day. "They're headed to Mystique so suit up, you're not gonna get through the front door without a jacket and tie." The level of excitement in Anya's voice was unmistakable.

Ryland shot her a look as he sat his binoculars aside and went to the kitchen for a drink. Their foreign national was leaving town in the morning which meant their job would soon be done but that also meant they'd lose their apartment which made Ryland a little sad. As much as he loved living in the tower with the family, having a place of his own was nice. Of course if he was really going to move out he'd find a nicer place; but the idea of having his own space was great. Some place he could decorate as he pleased, where he could stock the fridge with the food he liked best, and most importantly some place where he and Anya could relax and be together without always looking over their shoulders. Maybe he'd even get an apartment _with _her one day.

Anya leaned back in her chair and cracked her neck. Sitting in the same iron folding chair almost all day, every day left some serious kinks in her neck. Anya quickly realized that she enjoyed actual field work much more than surveillance work. She understood the need for the skill and the practice, but it was just so boring. It was like watching the TV on mute; entertaining for a minute but boring the rest of the time. She couldn't wait to move on- though sharing an apartment with Ryland was fun.

"Fill in for me," she said as she stood up. "I'm gonna go home and change."

"Bring something from my closet, would ya?" Ryland requested knowing Anya would pick out something nice- or at the very least get Tony to find him something nice.

Anya gathered her things but left a copy of _Through The Heat_ for Ryland to read while he waited for her return. She threw her satchel over her shoulder and headed for the door but stopped halfway. Ryland was just standing there waiting for his 'see-you-later' kiss. She had to smile as she leaned into him for a quick peck on the lips. But Ryland grabbed her cheeks and held her there a second longer, kissing her harder. The little sound she made caused Ryland to smile and kiss her once more before pulling away. She honestly looked a little dizzy for a second as she swayed on her feet.

"Yep," she mumbled as she tried getting her bearings again. "that definitely won't get old."

Ryland just smiled and watched her leave. They were six floors up and the elevator was broken so it took a few minutes for her to appear on the street below. She stepped back and looked up at the building, finding one of their windows almost immediately and blowing it a kiss, knowing Ryland was watching from the other side. She heard a cat-call as she walked away laughing.

After getting her car pushed into the river, Anya made S.H.I.E.L.D. pay for a replacement one model year newer than her last Lexus. So she climbed in and pulled away from the curb, less that happy she'd lose her parking spot. Traffic slowed her down a bit but Anya eventually made it back to the tower where Mickey was getting everything together for their family vacation. Her and Steve were taking the girls to London for a week then they were meeting Bruce and Danni in South Africa to do some missions work. Both Steve and Mickey thought it was important for the girls to experience other cultures and worlds apart from their privileged lives in Manhattan, and both the girls wanted to start charity work early because they both wanted to go to nice colleges.

Mickey was in the communal living room surrounded by suitcases and bags while Tony sat on the couch trying to convince her to just take the jet because it would be easier. "I'm sorry, Tony," she mumbled as she checked Florence's carry-on bag. "but I can't imagine anything douchier than flying a private jet to South Africa to do charity work."

"Touche," Tony replied with a chuckle. "At least take the jet to London. Pep and I don't need it till next week anyway."

"Where are you two headed?" Anya asked, navigating her way around Mickey's mess.

"Don't worry we're leaving Ryland home with you." Tony said heavily, giving her a look. And in that moment Anya truly could've killed him. "We're just spending some time in Malibu."

"Oh!" Mickey suddenly shouted causing Anya to jump. "That reminds me; what are we doing for Ryland's birthday? That's coming up in a few weeks."

Anya could just tell Tony was about to make a comment about her and Rye so she spoke up before he got the chance. "I know he doesn't want a party but other than that I don't think he has any plans in mind."

"It's his twenty-first birthday!" Tony said grandly. "The guys and I will take him out and make him a man."

Both Anya and Mickey rolled their eyes at him. "Age a man does not make." Mickey told him but he just brushed it off. "Well he's probably going to go out with Anya for dinner so maybe we'll all do brunch together."

"Yeah he'll...wait-what!?" Anya stammered , finally hearing what Mickey said.

"You guys are gonna go to dinner right?" Mickey asked plainly. "I mean if the boys are taking him out for drinks, you might as well snag some alone time too."

Anya was completely dumbfounded and stammering as she tried formulating a response. But the words wouldn't properly leave her mouth and she wound up spewing a load of nonsense. "Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?" Mickey asked innocently.

"Well-I mean-we're-not-exactly-it's..." was all Anya could get out.

Tony heaved a sigh as he rolled his eyes and said, "They're still convinced we're going to flip out and, I don't know, break them up or something so they're really poorly trying to hide it."

Anya's reaction was to flip him off and say, "That's not it! It's just a new thing and we're trying to figure it all out first before we tell everyone."

"What's there to figure out?" Tony challenged, leaning forward on the couch. "The only difference in your relationship is now you kiss each other- which, if you remember, has happened before."

"Oh c'mon! We were little kids! Let it go!" Anya scoffed. As soon as Thor told everyone how Ryland kissed Anya on the lips to "make her boo-boo better" Tony wouldn't let it go. He tortured Anya and Ryland for years by bringing it up every now and then and making them both blush.

"Okay, okay, you two." Mickey interjected, using her mom voice. "We'll keep you're little secret as long as you like and do birthday brunch for Ryland. Now both of you scram. I've got to get all of this crap together and ready for tomorrow and you're distracting me."

Anya followed Mickey's request and went to her apartment level to get ready for dinner. It was a fancy place so she had to dress up and do her hair. So she skipped right passed her closet and sneaked into Natasha's. Since they were similar sizes, Anya often stole some of Natasha's clothes. Besides, Natasha wouldn't miss the tight black bandage dress since she hadn't worn it herself in months- if not a year or two. The dress was better than fitted, it was practically another layer of skin and when Anya slipped into it she'd never felt sexier in her life. Smiling to herself, Anya couldn't wait to see Ryland' reaction.

She went back to her own closet for her favorite red suede Giuseppe Zanotti pumps and when she was dressed she went about fixing her make-up and pulling her hair into an intricate up-do. Once she was satisfied with the overall look she headed to Ryland's room to pick out his suit. Anya knew all too well what looked best on Ryland and what he was most comfortable in, so she picked out a slick black Bertoni suit, a crisp white button-up and a skinny black tie. There was no way in hell Mystique would let him in if he wore his trademark Converse, so she picked out a pair of light brown Paul Smith Seagal oxfords.

Luckily no one caught her all dressed up and with clothes for Ryland as well. That would surely warrant some remarks from Tony. Reaching the garage safely, Anya hung Ryland's suit in the backseat and headed back to the apartment.

It was kind of weird having an apartment with Ryland. When they were kids they would fantasize about living together. Granted they also wanted said house to be made of chocolate. The Bronx apartment certainly wasn't made of chocolate- just crumbling brick. Anya couldn't reach the key atop the door so she knocked four times to let Ryland know it was her. A few seconds later Ryland opened the door. "Wow!" he mumbled under his breath as he looked her up and down appreciatively. "That...is a very nice dress."

Anya couldn't help but smile as she entered the apartment. "Is Our Girl ready yet?" She asked as she hung up Ryland's suit in the bathroom. It really didn't matter where she hung up the suit though because Ryland wouldn't close the door as he changed anyway.

"Her reservation is steadily approaching so she has to be ready soon." Ryland replied as he started stripping away the outfit he already wore. Anya joined him by the window to check on their girl. She was just putting the final touches on her hair so Anya figured they had about ten minutes until she was ready to go.

"Hey nice choice!" Ryland commented as he leaned out of the bathroom in nothing but boxers.

"Ryland, modest is hottest. Put some clothes on." Anya chastised even as she appreciated the view. Now that she knew what it felt like to touch those chiseled abs she appreciated them even more. But sometimes Rylnad was a tad too comfortable around her.

Ryland just stuck his tongue out and returned to changing, emerging a few minutes later. "Just in time," he murmured, adjusting his cufflinks and checking out the window. Their girl was just grabbing her cell phone and purse off the coffee table, ready to leave, so Ryland did the same, extending an arm to Anya. She looped her arm around his and they headed out together, arriving street level a minute after their target. They took Anya's Lexus while their target hopped a cab then they followed the yellow cabbie to Mystique, keeping enough distance as not to be seen but never losing sight of her. Their reservation was under the name Aceland and luckily enough the place wasn't that crowded, so even though they were seated a good distance away, they could still keep eyes on their girl as well as take frequent "bathroom breaks" so they could walk by her table.

Her dinner date lasted longer than any ever should but of course Anya and Ryland didn't mind. Considering they never got any time alone outside of their apartment. "You know," Ryland mumbled as he took a generous bite from her tiramisu. "as pathetic as it is, this is our first official date."

"Oh that's not true." Anya shot back but upon request she couldn't name a single outing they'd been on that constituted a date. "We went to the movies last Friday."

"With your sister."

Anya thought another minute. "We went to lunch last Tuesday."

"With the twins."

"We...went to Long Island Th..."

Anya didn't even finish her sentence before Ryland steamrolled right over her. "With Dahlia, Kellen and Thor. Face it, Ace, for two people dating, we sure don't date very much."

"Fine," Anya admitted, pushing aside her desert and leaning across the table. "we don't date very much. But we don't need to date."

"How do you figure?"

Anya gave a cheeky grin and moved her elbows closer together on the table in order to draw Ryland's attention to her cleavage. "What's the goal at the end of a date?"

It took Ryland a minute to focus again but he eventually said, "Goodnight kiss." and she smiled, leaning back again.

"Exactly. And who gets a goodnight kiss every night?"

It was Ryland's turn to smile really wide as he said, "I do." like a giddy little boy. Anya's point was made crystal clear so they let the topic go for the time being but Ryland made a mental note to one day take her out on a real date. Someplace nice where they could get dressed up. Someplace where they weren't tailing someone or a sibling wasn't tagging along. Someplace they could be alone and free to hold hands across the table like they so desired.

The waiter came back before Ryland could mention his plans so he pushed them to the back of his mind and picked up the tab. They waited at their table until their target and her date got up to leave, then they followed suit a minute and 35 seconds later. When Anya and Ryland got outside their couple was just summoning a cab so they hopped in Anya's Lexus and followed the couple back to the apartment.

When they arrived back at their apartment Anya immediately let her hair down and pulled out her cell phone and said, "I'm gonna check in with S.H.I.E.L.D.. Keep your eyes on her for me, will ya?" before moving to the bedroom to make the call. Ryland leaned backwards to catch her walking to the bedroom, hating to watch her go but loving to watch her leave.

"I'll just...be here." he mumbled distractedly as he watched the sway of her hips. Honestly, how hadn't he noticed her sex appeal before?

Ryland pulled up a seat by the window and checked in on his couple just arriving at their apartment as well. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, Ryland caught the two in a pretty hot kiss. "Oop," he chuckled. "There it is." As conflicted as he was about watching the two get heavy on the couch, Ryland couldn't look away because if he did, something could happen. So he indulged that creepy side of him that kind of liked the voyeurism and kept his binoculars trained on the couple. Anya returned a minute later and asked what they were up to, grabbing her binoculars as well.

"Trying to end the night with a bang." Ryland told her, pulling his binoculars away to look up at her with a shitty grin. She just sighed and slapped the back of his head. "Hey, if they really go at it, do I have to keep watching?"

Anya shuttered at the thought but shrugged. "I guess so," she regretfully informed him. They both made faces as they watched a minute longer. "You know what," Anya finally said, dropping her binoculars. "there's really no harm in looking away for a few minutes, right?"

"Right!" Ryland immediately agreed, tossing his binoculars to the floor. "I mean we'll set up the cameras, that's gotta be enough."

"I think that's plenty!" Anya agreed as she turned the computer on to stream the footage once Ryland set up the cameras. "At least it'll have to be cause I'm not real keen on watching those two get it on."

Ryland couldn't resist the opportunity to place a hand on her thigh and say, "I'd much rather watch us get it on." But he only got another slap to the back of the head as a response. He chuckled and went about setting up the cameras with the same view they just had a moment ago. "There," He backed up and leaned halfway over to check the angle. "These are our eyes now in order to spare my innocence."

"Sorry to say it, honey, but your innocence was lost _long_ ago." Anya teased as she leaned over him, almost flat against his back as she too checked his angle.

"Oh and you're a baby bunny, huh?" Ryland shot back, giving her a look that reminded her he knew all of her dirty secrets- was the subject of more than a few. She just looked back evenly, challenging him with a single look. Ryland raised his eyebrows but neither gave in for a full minute. Then they simultaneously looked back at the camera without another word.

They stood that way for a minute longer before Anya accidentally whispered, "We could make a fortune off of this." before snapping her mouth shut. Ryland burst into laughter at the look on her face as she realized she actually said that out loud instead of in her mind like she'd intended.

"Oh yes, that little gem of a thought came from a _completely _innocent mind." he said sarcastically as he turned around to face her. She was a bright scarlet red even as she started giggling at herself. Ryland placed both his hands on her hips and started gently pushing her backwards as he said, "You, my dear, are no baby bunny."

The back of Anya calves hit the sofa in the living room and Ryland eased her down onto it. "Oh...so what am I?" she asked as they moved down on the couch. Ryland's response was to kiss her hard on the lips as they laid down together. All conversation gone, Anya kissed him back, moving on top of him. The last couple of months, keeping their hands off each other became increasingly difficult. After all, how long did they spend pining for each other? So every rare moment of alone time was spent quickly trying to cram in all the touching they hadn't gotten in all day. They looked absolutely like stupid teenagers, grasping greedily at each other for as long as they could get away with it until someone inevitably interrupted. But here, in the apartment they temporarily shared alone, there was no one to interrupt them- no one to walk in and make them stop. So they took it slow, savoring each other to their hearts content, just being with each other right then and there in the moment.

"Wait," Anya whispered a second after they'd just gotten started. "Did you hear that?"

Ryland pulled back and said, "It was probably nothing." but he still paused a second to listen for whatever it was she heard. But after a minute neither heard a thing, so he just pulled her hair over her shoulder and started kissing her neck. But a second later he pulled back again, "No wait, I heard it."

"It's probably nothing." Anya echoed, grabbing his chin and plastering their lips back together. Even though her tight dress was proving a little troublesome to move in, Anya managed to lay on top of him where he could wrap both his arms tightly around her waist, anchoring her body to his as they continued to kiss. They weren't quick hot kisses like Anya was used to; no, this time Ryland was taking his time. Relishing every touch and experiencing every sensation thoroughly, Ryland was even more tender and soft than he had been the first time they kissed. He was gentle with her as if she was priceless. She tried to be as gentle as he was but found herself getting greedy every other kiss if just because they were _finally_ alone. So in order to keep her hands occupied other than roughly pulling on his tie and shirt, she traced nonsensical patterns on the exposed skin of his neck. But even then, she frequently trailed her fingers up a little higher and knotted them in his messy hair.

Ryland planted one foot on the floor and wrapped a hand around her leg, just about ready to pick her up, then they heard a muffled pop. They both stopped immediately, pulling away to look over at the computer screen where their target was displayed via the camera they had set up. Anya reached over, still laying across Ryland's lap, and hit the space bar, activating the microphones they had planted in their girl's apartment. As soon as the sound kicked in they heard a scream.

"That a sex scream?" Ryland asked as they scrambled off each other to get a better look.

"What the hell kind of sex are you having?" Anya shot back teasingly as she grabbed her binoculars to check on their target however the curtain was drawn and she couldn't see a thing. So she went back to the computer to listen to the audio, plugging headphones in to get a better sound quality. She and Ryland both got quite as they listened- to nothing at first- then another pop.

"That was a gun shot." Ryland identified immediately, flying to the apartment door before Anya even had her headphones off. She kicked her heels aside and they both ran down the apartment stairs three at a time then rushed outside and across the street. Anya ran for the elevator and Ryland took the stairs, hoping one of them would get there faster however they arrived almost at the same time. Standing on either side of the apartment door, weapons drawn, Anya whispered a three count.

"One...two...three!" Then Ryland kicked in the door and they both filed in quickly. The living room was practically untouched aside from the normal mess of life so they hastened on their way to the bedroom, only paused for a breath before bursting through that door as well.

"Put the weapon down!" Ryland yelled at Pier, the concierge he'd spent the last two weeks hoping would ask out his target. Now, he was just hoping the idiot would lower the gun he brandished and turn himself over willingly. Cause he really didn't want to have to shoot the poor kid. But alas, he didn't drop the gun right away, instead let Anya get close enough to point it almost in her face. Ryland literally sighed.

Within three seconds, Anya grabbed the barrel of his gun, turned it down to his hip, punched him in the throat and twisted the pistol out of his grasp, breaking his finger in the process. When he fell to his knees she had both her gun and his pointed directly at him. "My partner told you to put the gun down." she said before pulling back the action to dispel the shell casing. "You should've listened to him." Then she released the clip and handed both parts to Ryland while she went about restraining Pier.

Ryland placed Pier's gun and clip on a nearby table before calmly walking around to the other side of the room and softly knocking on the bathroom door. "Kari," he said softly to the the girl on the other side. "My name is Ryland, I work for the United States government. Pier is in our custody now, you can come out, it's safe I promise."

A few beats of silence followed Ryland's words before the lock flicked and the door eased open. Ryland came face to face for the first time with his target; just a twenty-something-year-old Norwegian girl completely scared out of her mind. As slowly and non-threatening as he could manage, Ryland reached a hand out to help her stand. She hesitated a second more before grasping his hand and letting him steady her. As she followed him out of the bathroom she tried not looking at the bullet holes in the door frame or the mess Pier had made of her bedroom when he attacked her.

"Ten minutes till pick-up." Anya said as she met Ryland halfway between the bedroom and adjacent living room. The poor girl they'd saved clung to Ryland like he was her lifeline so Anya didn't interfere, just guided them to the nearest couch so Kari could sit down.

"Where's Pier?" Ryland asked calmly as he sat beside Kari on the couch.

Anya was so very casual in the way she said, "Restrained," But she didn't go into further detail. Instead she stood halfway between Kari and the closet, her pistol in the hand closest the closet door just in case. The ten minuets it took for S.H.I.E.L.D. to pick up both Kari and Pier were the longest ever but eventually a couple of agents arrived at the apartment and ushered both the offender and the victim away. Kari clung to Ryland as long as she possibly could so he followed her out to the curb before placing her in a nondescript black SUV and closed the door.

It wasn't until Ryland stepped back from the curb, joined by Anya as she checked her weapon, that he realized a very important question he needed to ask.

"Where in that dress, did you stash your gun?"

* * *

Author's Note: This surveillance case really has no purpose other than to show you guys how Aceland works as a professional team now that they are together together. And because I've had 70% of this chapter written since before I started this story hahaha and I needed to finally fit it in ;) I hope you liked it!

You can check out my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set from this chapter titled Linchpin: Nineteen

Keep the suggestions for a third installment and the rest of this story coming! I love them! Thanks!


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: Ughh sorry this took so long! I've been so unable to write lately idk what's up. Not to mention these past few weeks have been hella busy and my mind has been all over the place. I'm just really frazzled which is why I can't promise the next chapter will be out sooner rather than later, but I can promise that I'm gonna try my hardest.

**Review Reviews:**

**crazyninjagirl: **Haha we all have a little Tony Stark in us ;)

**KristenGall1998: **Thank you! I'm still considering it but thank you for the support :)

**Guest: **Thanks. I'm still unsure about the third installment but I'm keeping an open mind :)

**marvelgirl88: **Haha I'm glad I could make you laugh :)

**discordchick: **They do make a good team, don't they? Lol as smart as Ryland and Anya are they're pretty damn stupid sometimes :p

**WhatTheValhalla: **I thought you guys would like that ;) Haha they probably could have. Oh man Grandpa!Tony could be super hilarious lol but I'm still mulling over my options :)

**Epic Elven Warrior Princess: **She's learned from the best. Haha poor Ryland :p

**imnotcraZyjustuniQue: **It's been exhausting and yet thrilling at the same time, you know? I'm not exactly worried about losing steam, more so worried about dropping the ball. There's always that saying 'Quit while you're ahead' I wouldn't want to ruin the series with a terrible third installment. Thanks for the ideas! I can absolutely see Irina as the "face" of the Avengers and the one going out and handling the press. Haha that's okay, I hope you can start writing again too :)

**kmp: **Because if chocolate houses exist I would own one ;) lol

**Lollypops101: **Your idea will be part of the epilogue, so it'll be up soonish :)

**maggie: **Thank you! I will take all of those suggestions into consideration as I think of my next moves :)

**Morgan: **After writing the whole chapter I realized Anya was wearing a very small dress and yet stashed a gun somewhere in there so I had to have Ryland notice too ;) I'm sad to see it end too but I'm so happy you've liked it so far and will be there if I do a third installment :)

**ILoveIceCream: **Thank you very much! Haha that's okay I don't know what I'll do either ;)

**kimbee: **I was trying to think of some creative spot but where it actually was is up to your imagination ;) Thank you!

**Guest2: **Thanks for the suggestion. I think that would confuse me like crazy lol to go from 4 years old to 21 years old then back to before they were born but thank you for reading, reviewing and for sending in the suggestion I appreciate it :)

**Lauren: **Saying you're obsessed and that my story sucks you in is probably the best compliment I can imagine! Especially from and English teacher's kid ;) So thank you for the wonderful review! No you rock!

**Sasha: **Hey thanks for noticing that! I was really missing Mickey lately so I threw a little scene in there. Even though it's short, I love her. I love ending chapters/stories with a good parting line cause that's what usually sticks with a reader so a question like Ryland's just can't be answered ;) Thanks for understanding! I haven't decided what I'll do but it's great knowing I have support no matter what :)

**GhostGlowLight: **Thanks baby ;)

Author's Note: Okay so I may have an idea for a third installment but I'm still thinking it over, hashing out the details and seeing if I like it. We're a teeter totter right now cause I can't make up my mind lol but I'll let you know soon enough whether we'll get a third installment or not. I can tell you that if I do in fact write a third part, it probably wouldn't be written and uploaded for a few weeks after the finish of this story if just because I've got one more chapter and an epilogue left of Linchpin and that's not a whole lot of time ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

When word got back to Fury about how things went down with Anya and Ryland's foreign national, he was once again impressed with their professionalism. He secretly expected no less of Anya given her parents were once S.H.I.E.L.D.'s very best. But Ryland's expertise was a bit of a surprise. Fury of course always knew the boy was bright but didn't quite expect such dedication, loyalty and cooperation from a Stark. Then again Ryland was his own person, different from his father as much as he was the same.

So in honor of their good work, Fury decided to give them both the day off for Ryland's birthday. He had a mission for them the very next week but he'd give them a weekend to do as they pleased considering it was such a monumental birthday. 21 must be a huge deal to a Stark, Fury thought to himself as he glanced over the Anya's latest report.

She had the neatest handwriting he'd ever seen. And she liked to use big words like ephemeral and verisimilitude. Reading Anya's reports was like reading one of Kellen's books. Fury was glad for it too, after so many years of trying to read Clint's chicken-scratched and misspelled reports. He liked to compare Anya and Ryland's reports and see who could make who look best. Ryland always made Anya out to be a ninja or something; and Ryland always came across as Steven Seagal in Anya's reports. Though Fury wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

Fury signed off on Ryland and Anya's time off that weekend and hoped they were ready for their next mission Monday. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they could handle it- they were, after all, quickly becoming Clint and Natasha's best replacements- but he wondered how their relationship would effect their efficiency. Of course he knew they were dating. They tried keeping it under wraps but something like that is hard to hide. He knew. For a long time. And he didn't care, for the most part. Hell, some of his best agents did ten times better work with a partner they were romantically involved with. So long as it didn't get in the way, he was okay. Of course he wasn't gonna chit chat about it- plausible deniability and all- but he considered mentioning his knowledge of the relationship. With Clint and Natasha, they clued in Coulson almost immediately who therefore informed Fury. With Anya and Ryland, they weren't telling anyone- not even Clint. So Fury decided to let it play out. Hell, maybe he'd even use it one day.

XXX

Ryland woke up the morning of his twenty-first birthday to a message on his bathroom mirror. He wasn't sure when Anya sneaked in to write it or how she went about doing so undetected but he read it two or three times over while getting ready for the day.

_Ryland,_

_The family and I have collectively decided to let you sleep in considering the lack of sleep you'll get tonight. And also because when I sneaked in to write this message you were sleeping really adorably and I couldn't bring myself to wake you. Maybe one day I won't have to and we'll just wake up together, side by side. And we'll have breakfast together without worrying about what everyone else thinks. But until then, the family is waiting on the balcony to celebrate the day you changed a whole lot of lives._

_ Love, Ace._

The note was written in Anya's lipstick- a shade Ryland really loved- and she ended the message with a heart. He wasn't sure how he was going to save it but he certainly wasn't going to wash that mirror for a while. Which made getting ready kind of difficult but he managed to make his hair look decent and change into jeans and a black v-neck tee shirt- he didn't bother with shoes. There was a brand new suit hanging on his closet door ready to be worn to dinner with Anya that night. He wasn't told where they were going because Anya made all the plans but he was beyond excited. They were inches from "coming out" given Jane and Thor figured it out and Mickey told Steve. The only people left who didn't know where Clint, Bruce and Danni. But Ryland suspected Danni knew just by the looks she'd been giving them recently and it was a good bet she'd tell Bruce; so really Clint was the only one left. And the hardest.

Neither Ryland nor Anya knew how to go about telling her father. At first they considered letting Natasha tell him but figured that would be cowardly. They were both secretly hoping he'd just connect the dots and figure it out on his own like everyone else but that seemed more and more unlikely as their relationship moved from days to weeks to months old. They were rapidly approaching two months and Clint remained oblivious. So they'd have to tell him. But how? When? Where? Should Anya do it alone, should they do it together, or should Ryland have a man-to-man with him?

Ryland grew up with Clint which made him equal parts terrified and relieved. Knowing the man as well as Ryland did, he was fairly certainly Clint would never hurt him- they were family. However he also knew nothing came before Clint's little girls and he'd do just about anything to keep them safe. Which, up until Ryland fell for one of those little girls, was a trait he'd always admired. Now it just scared him.

If Ryland could just convince Clint that Anya was safe with him- that he'd never in a million years ever do anything to intentionally hurt her. If he could just convince Clint they had each others backs, and that they both kept each other safe. They were in the line of fire because of S.H.I.E.L.D. but so long as they were partners they were safe together. But Ryland didn't know how to prove that other than to take a bullet for her or something.

Ryland really didn't want to take a bullet. Even for Ace. He would, of course. But he'd rather live long enough to be with her than to take a bullet trying to get with her.

He literally had to shake that thought away as it attempted to consume him. _Nothing I can do right now_, Ryland told himself while sucking in a deep breath. He let go of all the stress and worry before pushing through the swiveling glass door onto the balcony.

"Happy birthday!" everyone screamed when he made it outside. He smiled as he was suddenly swarmed by hugs. Everyone took turns smothering him in tight hugs and giving him kisses. Pepper's hug was tightest followed by Tony's and Ryland just picked up Charlotte when they hugged. He was very much aware someone was missing but played it off, pretending not to notice. A little while later though Clint gave him the perfect excuse to go looking for Anya by asking Ryland to get another bowl of strawberries from the fridge inside. So Ryland hustled inside in hopes of finding Anya as well. He was in the kitchen refilling the strawberries when a hand landed on the small of his back.

"Morning, Birthday Boy." Anya said softly as she wound her arms around his waist and hugged him from behind. Ryland sat aside the strawberries and turned around to face her. She smiled up at him before kissing his lips.

"Thanks for the message this morning." he mumbled, tucking a fallen curl behind her ear.

"You better have liked it, I wasted an entire lipstick on that." she joked then scooted up onto the counter and wrapped her legs around his, pulling him in close for another kiss. He'd already started on brunch so when she traced his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue he kind of tasted like syrup.

"Somebody is gonna catch us." Ryland commented softly even as he pushed the sides of her shirt up just enough to touch her hips. Anya _reacted_ when his warm palms met her skin.

"Let them," she replied as she pulled him even closer by her fingers in his hair. Anya could get some really great reactions from Rye if she tried. She could make him moan and even whimper sometimes when she really put her mind to it. But in the kitchen with the family just outside wasn't the ideal place to demonstrate.

"That _really_ isn't the way to tell Clint." Ryland teased as they pulled apart. But he still grabbed her face and kissed her once more before helping her off the counter. He gathered the strawberries in one hand and Anya's hand in his other then they headed for the balcony. But of course they dropped hands before stepping back outside.

They were outside one minute before Natasha grabbed Anya and guided her away to help her with the fantastic brunch spread they had set out. Everything from ham to pancakes to fruit and veggies. Anya immediately loaded up a plate full of fruit and a dollop of Nutella for dipping while Ryland and Kellen alone ate enough food to feet a small army. The rest of the guys did the same and by the time the meal was finished everyone was absolutely stuffed so Natasha and Bruce put away leftovers while Florence washed dishes and Dahlia put them away. They had a proven system that helped them clean up the balcony and all the food in less than thirty minutes. But in the meantime everyone else lounged about the living room letting their food settle.

Kellen and Anya were talking about his latest story and how it was going to be more of a mystery. "I can tell you all you need to know," Anya said in regards to her S.H.I.E.L.D. training and knowledge. "So long as you base a character off of me."

"I'll name someone after you, how about that?" Kellen bargained. Anya hesitated a minute before shaking hands on the deal. "I'm not starting work on it for a while but I'll come to you when I need help."

"When are you going to start sending Through The Heat to publishers?" Steve asked from across the massive U shaped couch that comfortably sat eleven.

"I've actually sent it out to a few already. No responses yet though." Kellen replied. Despite only being fifteen-years-old, his status within the community was elevated because of the Avengers. People tended to respect him a bit more because his dad was the god of thunder. But Kellen never wanted to use the family as leverage for success. He wanted to earn it on his own even if that meant he'd have to struggle or work even harder than normal.

"Give it time, I'm sure someone will respond; it's a great story." Ryland told him hopefully from his place between Pepper and Anya. His legs were kind of thrown over Anya's in a way that was at least touching but nothing that would draw attention to them, and his head was in Pepper's lap while she stroked his hair and messed it up. Of course it fell too nice for him to stop her though.

"Can we please talk about tonight?" Tony demanded from his spot across the couch, lounging sideways with one leg thrown haphazardly over the backrest. "Steve wanted to chicken out and we can't let him."

"Hello I'm sitting right here." Steve replied, raising his hand to draw Tony's attention but he refused to look over.

"Awe c'mon, Cap, it's gonna be fun." Clint said, bumping shoulders with Steve. "Don't you wanna be there for Ryland's first shot and his inevitable first hangover?" Steve kind of made a face, as if that did sort of intrigue him.

"It's okay if Steve doesn't want to come." Ryland said easily. "You've been traveling a lot, its cool if you wanna stay home, Cap."

"Lies," Tony cut in. "no it's not cool if you stay home, Cap. You're a loser if you stay home." Tony tried giving Steve a serious look but wound up laughing and ruining his credibility. "Come on! You gotta go! We're going to get my son drunk and I want my best friends there for it."

"I do not plan on getting drunk, Dad." Ryland told him but in all honesty he knew getting sloppy was inevitable. Ryland just hoped the hangover wouldn't be terrible and the guys would keep him under control so he wouldn't do something stupid that he couldn't live down. Actually the more he though about it the more he wanted Steve there if just to keep Tony in check and watch Ryland's back.

"Oh you're gonna get drunk." Natasha said teasingly as she entered from the kitchen alongside Bruce. Since all the seats were taken Natasha fell into Clint's lap and Bruce sat by Danni's feet, both of them curling into their partners comfortably. "You're going to be the drunkest of all these idiots. And whoever is second drunkest gets to take care of your hangover."

Everyone immediately turned their eyes to Tony who threw up his arms in defense.

"Why do guys like to get drunk?" Charlotte wondered aloud as she sat on the floor by the coffee table doodling on the cover of the notebook Kellen used to journal his story ideas. Normally he didn't let anyone near it but he since Charlotte had her dad's artistic talent he let her doodle on it and cover it in pretty pictures. "It sounds terrible to me."

"You stay that way forever, Car." Steve joked, using his nickname for Charlotte sinc were her initials.

"What are you gonna do for your twenty-first, Anya?" Pepper asked, looking over to Anya and catching the look she'd exchanged with Ryland before she realized Pepper was addressing her.

"Oh we already have a plan." Natasha said for her, getting a wild look in her eye. "Two words: Atlantic City. We're gonna play twenty-one when she turns twenty-one while sipping martinis and hopefully collecting twenty-one guy's phone numbers." Natasha explained excitedly and Anya pretended to toast her mother who returned the gesture.

Clint rested his forehead on Natasha's shoulder as he grumbled. "You are the weirdest mother ever." with a chuckle. Natasha slapped him even as she laughed it off.

"Try _best_," Anya corrected. Her and Natasha hashed their twenty first birthday party plans when she was fourteen and had her first taste of liquor. For some reason Anya got curious about hard alcohol and asked Natasha if she could taste some. So Natasha figured as long as they were alone in the apartment- a controlled environment- it wouldn't hurt to give Anya a taste. Of course Anya had tasted alcohol before when a family member would let her sip out of their glasses at parties or champagne on New Years but she'd never tasted anything hard. So Natasha poured them both a shot of Russian vodka each. Anya all but gagged and didn't try it again but that's when they decided her twenty first birthday would definitely be spent with Natasha.

Dahlia turned the moment back to Ryland by saying, "You better get all your secrets out in the open now before you start drunkenly spewing every last one." seriously but with a devilish look. Anya narrowed her eyes at her from across the room but Ryland was trained on Clint the whole time. Anya made a promise in the back of her mind to beat the crap out of Dahlia for that comment later.

"I'm ready for round two." Tony said to diminish the tension. "Did you put all that food away cause I'm hungry again."

Everyone jumped off the subject of secrets and onto Tony's insatiable appetite but Anya didn't forget Dahlia's quip. And she followed through on the promise she made herself to kick Dahlia's butt. After brunch when Dahlia was helping her get ready for dinner, Anya slapped her right upside the back of her head.

"Ouch! Hey!" Dahlia complained but Anya shot her a look. "What was that for?"

"_Better get all your secrets out in the open now before you start drunkenly spewing every last one_." Anya imitated rudely and Dahlia chuckled.

"Okay, first of all I don't sound like that. And second, it's true! He's gonna spill the beans sooner or later and if he gets as drunk as we're all predicting, it's gonna be sooner. Aren't ya'll better off just telling Clint?" Dahlia replied. When Anya was calm again Dahlia helped her pin her hair back in a soft up-do. Since Anya and Ryland were going to a really fancy restaurant Anya dressed up in red strapless, floor length chiffon dress and Prada brand black suede pumps. She'd planned her outfit ahead of time to match Ryland's to a T.

"We are better off just telling him," Anya admitted as she and Dahlia worked on her hair. "but neither of us has any clue how to do so."

"Just tell him," Dahlia replied simply. "Blurt it out, that's how I'd do it. _Hey, Dad, I've been hooking up with Ryland for about two months now. Yeah we make out and stuff. Just thought I'd let you know._" Dahlia put on the single most ridiculous monotone voice in order to make Anya laugh and it worked cause Anya snorted she was laughing so hard.

"No! I'm not gonna do that!" she demanded once she caught her breath. "I've got some semblance of class in me. Besides, if I tell Daddy we're mackin' on the side he'll kill us both. No we're better of picking a specific time and place and sitting him down for a chat."

"If you say so..." Dahlia mumbled, still unconvinced. Luckily no one else in the tower had to deal with the same situation. Of course almost all the older kids had dated at least once already but it was different dating someone else in the tower.

Anya's first boyfriend was a kid in the ninth grade who asked her to homecoming then dated her for roughly four weeks before she called it off. He was an awkward kid and couldn't handle the fame so she ended it only to end up with a guy who liked the fame a little too much. However both times Clint let her do as she pleased. When the boys came calling Anya's name he'd answer the door with a serious expression and stick close by without saying a word. Then right before they'd leave he tell Anya to call if she needed anything. That was it. He didn't flip or freak.

Clint liked to say it was because he trusted Anya enough to know she'd never put herself in a position for bad shit to happen- and if she did, she knew how to get out. So he trusted her to date yahoos like her high school flings because he knew they wouldn't last but Ryland was a serious relationship. Sure it was only two months so far but everyone knew they were in it for the long hall. So what would Clint do when it was no longer a 'put up with it until it goes away' kind of situation? What would he do when faced with the actual reality of Anya falling in love?

Protecting Anya from _everything_ was Clint's job- one he took very seriously. He'd take a bullet between the eyes for his girls- including Natasha- but further more he wasn't afraid to piss her off. If he had to get in the way and get her mad in order to keep her safe Clint was absolutely ready to do so. And everyone knew it. Especially Ryland. It was the only thing he could think about as he got dressed for dinner. Looking at Anya's message on his mirror as he tied a red tie around his neck and pulled on his suit jacket, Ryland thought maybe they should just tell him. Just blurt it out. But then he thought maybe they shouldn't. Then he went back to thinking they should. And by the time he was downstairs in the garage waiting for Anya he was so confused he'd given himself a headache.

"Wow," he mumbled when he turned around, rubbing his forehead. Headache forgotten, Ryland started to smile at the beautiful girl he got to call his own. "That is...one fantastic dress." Anya smiled and did a little twirl for him, showing off the maxi dress.

"I picked it out just for you." she said as they went to his Camaro. They were driving to the restaurant despite the paparazzi that would undoubtedly follow them there. It would be interesting fielding the media when pictures of the two of them, all done up and looking pretty, having a nice dinner alone in the city. Ryland held the coveted status as one of New York's most eligible bachelors. He was number three under a 24 year old movie actor and a 22 year old athlete that both had nothing on Ryland- at least in Anya's book. Of course all the men on said list were wealthy, young and attractive, but none of that mattered to Anya. Ryland was number one for her. Always.

"Celebrating your twenty-first?" one paparazzi asked as they entered the restaurant. Then the rest chimed in with questions like, "What's the family got to say about this?" or "Anya! Where'd you get your shoes?" and one even asked, "When's the wedding?"

But Anya and Ryland just ignored them all and went in to have their dinner. They had a separate room all to themselves that no one had access to other than the waiters so they were free to talk about whatever they wanted and even hold hands across the table. They kept the topics light and breezy, reminiscing over all the good years they spent together and laughing over all the time they spent denying their relationship. They even talked about Clint and how to go about letting him know what was going on but they couldn't come up with a legitimate plan. Anya just suggested they do it the next day- given Ryland doesn't drunkenly spill the beans.

After dinner they went back to the Camaro but Anya bargained for the drivers seat. "You don't need to know where we're headed until we get there." she said sweetly, kissing his hand as she slipped the keys from his grasp. He hesitantly let them go and got in the passengers seat, apprehensive of where they could possibly be going but along for the ride anyway. He just sat back, holding her hand over the console and asking a million questions as to where they were headed but it wasn't until they reached Battery Tunnel that he knew where they were headed; his suspicions all but confirmed as they continued on Belt Parkway.

"Really?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Shut up,"

"We're going to Coney Island?"

"I said shut up."

"Could you be any cheesier, Ace?" Ryland asked as he reached across the seats to kiss her on the cheek. "It's gonna be deserted though, you know that right?"

"That's the point." Anya replied as she pulled over and turned off the car. "We've got the place to ourselves." Her smile was impossible to resist so Ryland kissed her quickly before the got out and plugged the meter. Ryland ditched his jacket and Anya tossed her shoes in the backseat and they headed for the beach. It wasn't the nicest beach of course- it was Coney Island- but they were able to walk down to the water and stick their toes in the icy sea.

"Can you believe I've bullshitted my way through over two decades of life?" Ryland joked as they stood by the water, letting it touch their toes. Anya laughed outright, louder than she'd intended which made Ryland laugh along with her. He could honestly just watch her laugh all day- he loved the sound and the way her giggles made her lose her balance. Ever since she was a kid, Anya could never stand still when she laughed. She always rocked back and forth and almost fell over when she laughed too hard, and from the time she was a year old she'd snort when she laughed really hard. So Ryland always tried to make her laugh even if it was at his own expense but this time he just wrapped her up in a hug and kissed her.

"You're adorable," he said as he rested his forehead against hers. "But calm down for a minute, okay? I wanna tell you something."

Anya kept giggling a second longer before she was able to bite her bottom lip and stop laughing. "Okay, what do you want to say?" she asked, trying not to keep giggling. But Ryland didn't say anything for a few more minutes, just stood there staring at her, their faces really close together.

When she was truly calm she looked up at him with curious blue eyes that melted his heart and Ryland wound up muttering the most honest declaration of his life. "I love you, Ace."

* * *

Author's Note: ATTACK OF THE FEELS! Lol I had to add that last bit if just cause I'm a fan of Aceland feels ;) The way I've got this story planned out is Ryland's 21st birthday bash will land in the 21st chapter cause I'm a clever bitch. However it will also close the story so the next chapter will be the last :( There will be an epilogue though! And until then, you can check out my Polyvore (Samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set from this chapter titled Linchpin: Twenty

Thanks!


	21. The End

Author Note: Before I start rambling on and on thanking all of you, I want to give an announcement/update on the third installment to the series. So it goes like this: I'm going to start actively trying to get an original work published this year and so I need to free up some of my mind in order to focus on said original work. **There will be a third installment**, however, it'll just be more like Mini-Vengers or This One Time where it'll be a string of usually unrelated one-shots rather than a full story with a plot. I'm not ready to give up these characters yet but I also want to peruse other things. So the happy-medium I see is to stick to one-shots and fluff. If I get to upload it before the epilogue for this story, I'll let you know in the A/N otherwise I'll upload a separate chapter titled Third Installment, pointing you to it :)

Also, I need to take a second to thank you all for all of your loveliness. Seriously. I'm not going to bore you by going on and on about how grateful I am even though I could fill a novel with my gratitude. I just want to say thanks. Cause my job in this whole thing is to write- to make each chapter as good as I possibly can- but it's your job to read it and give feedback. And you've all done such a lovely job ;) No one told you you have to read every chapter and no one told you you have to review them as well; but most of you all do both, and that means the world to me. I just hope that I've created something you all enjoy as much as I do :)

So I gotta say thanks to all of you!

Like those who have follow Linchpin:

_19irene96, Abby231, AbbyRose17, AlexJMP, Alexpuppy789, Alisonpaige215, Amants Rose, BlueBanshee, BrizeldaLeon, Burningrepp1, , Camillia Vincent, CandiBlu, Cashman626, Cassidy Rogers, Chaos Reigner, CupKatyCakes, Deb Tiaki11, Ella Kelly, Emrys90, EstelPax, For-Longest-Days-And-Nights, Fossil97, GhostGlowLight, Golden Orchid Cendrillon, GracieeKing, HannahLouiseIAm, ILovIceCream, InsaneKids159, IzzyRascal, Jackwe Depp, Jessdance34, KristenGall1998, LeKins004, Linwe Ferland, Lizzethhhh, MetricCelsius, MissAvenger99, MizzMisty, Momorulz, Muggle Minx, MusicalFan4, N3v3rm0r311949, Natasha Barton 13, Nate The Grate, NerdHerd22, Neverland123, Nightsong014, OwlFruit, PJ-NCIS-TF-26, Phoneixmoonwolf, PinkiPunki, PolkaDotMilly, Punk Angel's Dream, Reading4Ever, .9, S0U1 3AT3R16, SARAHBABE215, Scarlet-X-Alchemy, Secret-, uthor-Syria, SharinganWeasel, Shelbyvaughn76, Song of a Song, SpectrumLight, Sunny14384, VampiricVenom1, WhatTheValhalla, Winly Elric, a-consulting-, venging-hunter, ajstar, , bookworm2609, brackett WI, .98, crittbihh, discordchick, gdag1321, glee-finchel-forever, hannah skywalker, imnotcraZyjustuniQue, jackjack89, kendramccormick, kerVEROs, kerylsmith, lilyninapandora, littlenaoki, lostwithoutahome, luxetverita, marijask25, marvelgirl88, nerdygirl3.14, phoebewang99, prontobadjuju, ramsayreader, rio95000, sweetmusicofsolstace, syrensls, team. , truuuuls-7396, RainbowLennoxPanda and xcincin96x._

Also to those who favorited Linchpin:

_19irene96, a-consulting-avenging-hunter, Abby231, Agent8699, ajstar, Alexpuppy789, Amethyst-lilly-rider, , Burningrepp1, , Cashman626, Cassidy Rogers, Chaos Reigner, .98, CupKatyCakes, Cybella, Deadly Nightshade2012, Emrys90, Epic Elven Warrior Princess, EstelPax, firstbournelegacy, Fossil97, GhostGlowLight, girllyingbythesea901, Golden Orchid Cendrillon, hannah skywalker, HannahLouiseIAm, ILovIceCream, imnotcraZyjustuniQue, InsaneKids159, Izusa93, IzzyRascal, jackjack89, jeffhardyfan93, Jessdance34, kak29, kendamccormick, KristenGall1998, Linwe Ferland, Lizzethhhh, Lollypops101, lostwithoutahome, LoveIsLouder14, marijask25, marvelgirl88, MetricCelsius, MizzMisty, Momorulz, Muggle Minx, N3v3rm0r311949, Natasha Barton 13, NaviRebel16, NerdHerd22, OkThIsIsWiErD, Orion84, Penn Langley, phoebewang99, Phoneixmoonwolf, PinkiPunki, PolkaDotMilly, prontobadjuju, rainaris, ramsayreader, S0U1 3AT3R16, SARAHBABE215, Secret-Author-, yria, SharinganWeasel, Shelbyvaughn76, SilenceSpeaksWhenWordsCan't, sloncetymoje, Sunny14384, VampiricVenom1, verreauxii, WhatTheValhalla, RainbowLennoxPanda and xcincin96x._

And to those who reviewed:

_MacKenzie, Epic Elven Warrior Princess, discordchick, Jenna, WhatTheValhalla, ILoveIceaCream, verreauxii, Mercede216, Morgan, kimbee, maggie, imnotcraZyjustuniQue, KristenGall1998, GhostGlowLight, That's What Really Happened, S0U1 3AT3R16, Emrys90, PolkaDotMilly, asphodel. cato, AngelsareGolden, Sasha, Silence Speaks When Words Can't, Linwe Ferland, jeffhardyfan93, CupKatyCakes, Chloe. khoo. 98, crazyninjagirl, Orion84, firstbournelegacy, InsaneKids159, Lauren, Legolas, N3v3rm0r11949, team. k. putt, BlueBanshee, lostwithoutahome, Lollypops101, purplebutterflies16, Alex, C. Joan, KMPCool, Avamys, prontobadjuju, LeKins004, PJ-NCIS-TF-26, The Madrigal, a-consulting-avenging-hunter, SARAHBABE215, LeKins004, AvengersObsessed, marvelgirl88, Chaos Reigner, Punk Angel's Dream, ramsyreader, kendramccormick, Camilla and Nate The Great._

Also, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to WhatTheValhalla! Sorry it's so late but I tried my best to make chapter 21 your birthday present :)

And finally,

Enjoy!

* * *

All the guys had to dress up for their night out on the town. It was pretty much an unspoken rule they all abode by even if they hated it. So they suited up in Armani instead of iron. It was always surprising to see how well the guys dressed up- especially Thor and Bruce who were the least dressy of the group. But on such special occasions they pulled out their nicest clothes which is why Clint was wearing a black button up under a silver sport coat and nice jeans. Bruce was also wearing nice jeans but with a denim button up, the sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. Surprisingly enough Tony opted out of a suit that night, going with jeans, a button up and tie under a sweater. Even Steve wore jeans- an uncommon thing for him- with a white v-neck and a blazer over top. But no one could outdo Thor. He'd gotten a Zegna suit recently but hadn't had a chance to wear it so he broke it out for Ryland's birthday celebration. It was tailored perfectly to his large frame and the crisp white dress shirt he wore underneath only did wonders for him. The entire time he was getting ready Jane just sat back and fanned herself.

Ryland was still dressed up from dinner, having kept the slacks and white shirt but lost the tie and traded the jacket for a vest. Anya had messed up his hair when they were on the beach so he tried styling it again but she just messed it up once more.

"It looks better messed up." she giggled as she sat on the counter in his bathroom watching him get ready. She was still wearing her dress but she'd let her hair down so Ryland ran his fingers though her curls, messing them up the way she messed up his hair. She grumbled but let him lift her off the counter by her hips and put her on the floor.

"How do I look?" he asked, stepping back with his arms out. As much as she wanted to wrap her arms around him she just signaled for him to spin around so he chuckled and turned his back to her.

"Ass-tastic." she replied, slapping his butt.

"Sometimes I believe you only love me for my ass." Ryland retorted as they left his bathroom and headed to the lobby where the rest of the guys were all waiting. The same rules the guy always had still applied; be respectful, don't cause a scene, don't drink and drive, stay away from paparazzi and don't let Tony convince anyone to do shots. But this time there was one extra rule: look out for Ryland. Even though the goal was to give the guy his first drink they had to watch his back and make sure he didn't do anything too outrageous. Pepper was especially worried about him but she knew the guys wouldn't let anything too terrible happen, especially given they were able to convince Steve to tag along. He'd watch out for Ryland even when Tony got wasted and insisted they do something crazy and stupid.

"Have fun but be safe." Mickey told them as she tucked the tag in on Steve's shirt. It was common practice for the wives to see off the guys- if just to remind them they were gentlemen at heart and if they acted otherwise the girls would kill them. They'd also have a little party of their own, a girls night at home.

"We'll be perfect gentlemen." Steve replied, kissing Mickey's cheek.

"Says the guy who can't get drunk." Clint snapped, shooting Steve a look. "Of course you're gonna be a gentlemen, when aren't you?"

"Wanna find out?" Steve threatened jokingly and Clint threw his hands up in defense.

"Quit pissing off the super soldier, honey." Natasha chastised as she fixed Clint's miss-matched buttons. "And just because you're getting shit-faced doesn't mean you can't be a shit-faced gentlemen. That goes for all of you. Even you, Rye."

Anya bit her lip not to make a comment, rather just stood between Ryland and Bruce as they waited for their ride to come around to the back of the tower. Luckily Clint was the first out the door so Anya could sneak a quick kiss from Ryland before he headed out with the guys. Natasha, Jane, Mickey, Pepper, Danni and Anya stood back and watched the guys leave. Almost as soon as the door closed behind them Natasha shouted, "Finally! Someone get the wine!"

XXX

The club Tony picked was, of course, swanky and high class. He reserved a private lounge for the guys away from the crowds and commotion. Of course that didn't stop anyone from trying to get in but the guys were all pros at handling fangirls. One girl even grabbed the bottom of Steve's jacket to slow him down but Clint interjected, breaking her grasp by inserting himself between the two. They got to the lounge just as a group of girls decided the space right in front of the lounge was a great place to dance. But the club had security at the entrance.

"They're like piranha." Bruce joked as the girls tried convincing the guard to let them through. Every girl in town wanted to help Ryland celebrate his 21st but there was only one girl he wanted there. So he just ignored the other girls- as hard as that was with their small outfits and suggestive dance moves.

"To Ryland and to twenty-one!" Tony cheered, raising the first round of shots. Everyone followed suit then threw back their drinks. Ryland did a pretty good job of keeping a straight face so they ordered another round. And another. And another. And another.

Ryland was pacing himself- wanting to remember at least _something_ from the night. Tony however was already off mixing alcohols. Bruce was trying to reign him in but to no avail. So they just let him drink and drink until he was just wasted enough to be highly entertaining.

"Quick night for Iron Man." Steve teased as Tony fell over onto the couch.

"I wanna dance! Thor come dance with me!" Tony exclaimed drunkenly, grabbing Thor's arm. Caught off guard, Thor stumbled out of the lounge behind Tony who flung the helpless Asgardian into the middle of the dance floor. As bad as everyone felt for Thor it was just too funny to watch him panic and unsuccessfully try to worm his way back out. When Tony joined in and immediately made it inappropriate that's when Bruce and Steve stepped in to help.

Clint however made no effort to help and just fell to the couch beside Ryland asking, "Feelin' the buzz yet?" nonchalantly.

"Yes but luckily no as much as Dad." Ryland replied as he watched Steve and Bruce try to pull Thor and Tony out of the crowd of woman gyrating all up on them. They were hilariously unsuccessful.

"Great then this is a good time for us to talk." Clint said, getting serious all of a sudden and making Ryland start to worry. "You're perfectly drunk enough to be afraid of me but not so drunk that you'll forget everything I say in five minutes."

"I'm not..." Ryland started to say but Clint held up a hand to stop him.

"No don't talk," Clint interjected, deriving sick pleasure in how wide Ryland's eyes got. "I'm only going to say this once, Ryland, so listen closely, okay? Are you listening?"

Ryland could only manage one pathetic nod.

"You are my family," Clint continued, his blue eyes going cold and almost silver like. "I'd never hurt you. But if you make my Little Bird cry I will make you cry."

"I would..." Ryland tried to protest but again Clint held up his hand to make him stop so Ryland complied. He really had nothing to say anyway. Hell he couldn't even think straight let alone convincingly reply. So he just sat back and tried not to let Clint see just how sweaty he'd just gotten.

"Let me finish," Clint told him seriously. "Anya is much like her mother. She likes to act tough and pretend bullets bounce right off her. But in reality she's soft, she's sentimental and goofy and actually quite fragile. She'll never admit to any of those things but you and I both know it's true. And if you take any one of those things away from her I will make your life a living hell."

"Anya is..." Again Ryland tried to defend himself but Clint silenced him.

"Still not done," Clint told him calmly but with an undeniably threatening undertone. "Anya, Irina and Natasha are my main priority in life, and given that I'm retired, I have nothing better to do than waste copious amounts of energy protecting them from everything. And believe me that does not exclude heartbreak. I know my skills have gotten a little rusty and I'm not as good as I once was, but if my Little Bird ever comes home crying, you can believe I will dust off any means necessary to get even. Because at the end of the day it's my job to protect my girls from every enemy. And by kissing my Anya...you just became enemy number one."

Ryland gulped so loudly they could both hear it over the music. But Clint didn't say anything else after that, just kept his eyes trained on Ryland without saying another word. Ryland wasn't sure if he was supposed to speak then but wasn't going to try just in case he wasn't supposed to. So they wound up just sitting there for a minute in the worlds most awkward silence. Then Clint said, "You can speak," almost as if he was talking to a prisoner or something.

Ryland gulped again, taking in a deep breath. He stuttered for a minute, fumbling for the right words and tripping all over logic and reasoning. But then he stopped, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and remembered Anya. Remembered the way she smiled at him and how it seemed to brighten the whole room. Remembered how soft her skin was and how sometimes he could just sit, stroking her leg or arm or neck, just marveling at how soft she was. Remembered how perfect it felt to kiss her and hold her in his arms and just be with her. Remembered how important she was to him. Then he opened his eyes slowly to face Clint head-on.

"I respect you, Clint." he started off calmly. "And I respect the relationship that you have with Anya. I hope that one day I'll be as loving a father as you are. However, I am not your enemy. I'm your ally, Clint. All you want is for Ace to be happy, right?" He waited a second for Clint to nod before continuing. "That's all I want too, and you and I both know that being with me makes her happy. You may not see it yet but if you could see her smile sometimes...god I swear it could brighten the world. I know because I'm just as happy as she is. And if I make her that happy how bad of a man can I be?"

"You can..." Clint started to say but it was Ryland's turn to hold up his hand.

"Please let me finish." Ryland requested. Something crossed Clint's face and for a second Ryland thought it might have been respect but Clint covered it and remained neutral as Ryland continued his speech. "Furthermore, if I ever hurt Ace, if I ever make her cry, you can bet it will be unintentional. I will always try my hardest to give her everything she wants and needs and never make her cry. I will always try my hardest to treat her with every ounce of respect, love, patients and understanding that she deserves. But I am only human. And I can only promise to _try_. And if- or when- I mess up and fail...I'll kick my own ass for you."

They both fell silent after that. Neither said a word for a few minutes as the club went about it's loud culture around them. The bass on whatever song was playing literally made the glasses on the table shake but that didn't stop Clint front picking up two glasses of whiskey and handing one to Ryland. "Well okay then." was all he said before throwing back the drink and standing up. Ryland quickly drained his glass as well as he watched Clint mosey out to the dance floor, attracting attention and lots of female hands as he grabbed Tony by the shirt collar and dragged him to the bathroom- no doubt to throw some water in the drunkards face. In doing so he also cause an out for the rest of the boys to scurry away from the maddening crowds.

As the guys joined Ryland back in the lounge it suddenly dawned on him that Clint just okay-ed his relationship with Anya. He'd actually said _okay_. Though the implications of that would only settle in when the whiskey settled, it was still great news. So Ryland grabbed another shot and threw it back with a satisfied smile. Then reached for another. Then another. And another. And soon enough the guys were dragging him and Tony back to the tower like two drunken sacks of potatoes.

Everyone else in the tower had long since gone to bed so as the elevator stopped at each floor the guys tried to be as quiet as possible. Mickey didn't even stir when Steve stripped down and joined her in bed as quietly as possible. Jane woke up just in time for Thor to toss his pants in the hamper. She quickly motioned for him to just go to bed like that so he chuckled and complied considering Dahlia and Kellen were fast asleep down the hall. Danni was asleep but Bruce had to wake her in order to get in bed cause she was sprawled out across both sides. Poor Pepper had to get both Tony and Ryland to bed and taken care of- something no one was envious of. But when Clint made it to his apartment he was surprised to see the lights on and Anya sitting on the couch reading a book.

"You waited up," he mumbled as he sat beside her, tossing her legs onto his lap. Usually Natasha waited up until he got home from a boys night out but the last few times she'd been unable to stay up. She drank with the girls and stayed up as long as she possibly could but always wound up falling asleep on the couch before Clint made it home. On nights when he was sober enough he wound up carrying her to bed and on the nights when he was really drunk he just laid down on the floor in front of the couch.

"Mom tried but she clocked out a while ago so I figured I'd stay up for her." Anya replied offhandedly as she marked her page in the book and set it aside. "How was your evening? You're looking surprisingly sober."

"I indulged only as much as I could take." Clint said as he leaned back into the couch with a sigh. "Can't say the same for the Stark's though."

Anya chuckled at the thought before adding, "At least they'll be taking care of each other." She didn't envy either of them the night and morning ahead. But given the few times she'd seen Tony drunk, they were in Pepper's more than capable hands. Anya had watched Pepper take care of Tony's hangovers just as she'd seen Natasha take care of Clint's and vice versa. Anya could still remember the first time she was old enough to understand why Clint was acting so weird the morning after a boys night. She shook her head at him and sternly told him that he needed to act right even if he didn't act right the night before. After that Clint stopped hanging around the girls when he was hungover, just locked himself in the gym or the bedroom till he was less emotional.

"Well I'm headed to bed then," Anya mumbled as she went to stand up but Clint kept his hands on her legs in order to keep her there a minute longer.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" he asked and so Anya eased herself back into the couch apprehensively. "You know that, no matter what, I'll always have open ears for you, right? That I'll always be there and always try to stay as objective as possible."

Anya hesitated a minute, unsure of where the conversation was headed. "Umm...sure, Dad, I know I can talk to you."

"About anything," Clint added seriously. "I know there are certain things you'd rather talk to Nat about or Irina about. But you should never feel...shy about talking to me."

Despite the little voice in the back of her head telling Anya to say okay and go to bed, she instead asked, "What brought this on?"

Clint gave her a look; a classically Clint look that expressed a million things in his eyes alone. Anya had her own version of that look but Clint had it perfected- to the point where Anya knew exactly what he was saying before he even opened his mouth. "Come on, Ace, you know what brought this on." he said evenly, the look holding.

Anya had to turn her head down, unsure how to respond. "How long have you known?" Anya asked so quietly he almost missed it. Instead of looking up at him she fiddled with a frayed edge on the book she'd been reading before he came home.

"A few weeks," Clint replied. "almost as long as you two have been dating."

"How?" she asked but he just smiled wickedly and told her he had his secret ways so she didn't question it.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to say anything and that you'd come to me." he murmured.

That's when Anya finally looked up so she could see his face when she said, "I was going to, I was just waiting for the right time. Though I don't know when the right time would've been. I guess I just wasn't sure how you'd react."

Clint nodded slowly, understanding her predicament as well as his own. They were silent a minute before he reached out to her in an open invitation to a hug that she just couldn't resist. So she shifted on the couch and curled into his side as he said, "You're my Little Bird which means I'll always love and protect you. But above all the hopes and dreams I have for you, I just want you to be happy. I've always known the day would come when I'd lose you to someone or something else but I honestly wouldn't care if it was S.H.I.E.L.D. or stripping for singles in Greenwich Village; so long as you're happy. And I can tell Ryland makes you really happy- he always has."

Anya smiled and shifted to look up at him. "So...you're okay? You're fine with Rye and I dating and everything?"

Clint paused a second before nodding once. "If you're happy then I'm happy, Kiddo." but then, for good measure had to add, "But the second you're unhappy, I'm furious."

Anya chuckled even though he wasn't entirely kidding. "Thanks, Daddy." she said as she kissed his cheek lightly. Then she stood up from the couch and held her hands out to help him up too. He tucked her under his arm as they headed back down the hallway together, only separating to go to their separate rooms after exchanging goodnight hugs.

But before they separated for the night Anya stopped in her doorway. "Daddy?" she asked as he stopped just outside his bedroom. He looked back at her with a look only a father could wear- a level of adoration and love only a daddy could feel for his little girl. So Anya smiled back and him and said, "You'll never lose me." which brought a wide smile to his face. But he didn't feel the need to reply as he just disappeared into his room.

But then his head popped back out into the hallway and he said, "But seriously no stripping okay?"

XXX

The next morning was rough for the Stark boys but hilarious for everyone else. Tony just shoved some pills and tried not to dwell on the pain in his head all the while Ryland was stuck in the bathroom throwing up. In fact no one saw him until well into the afternoon when he finally moseyed into the communal kitchen in disheveled sweatpants and even messier hair. No one was surprised to see his slipshod state but everyone was more than shocked when he walked right up to Anya and kissed her her square on the mouth- and not a quick kiss either but a genuine one. Clint wasn't in the room but going from basically no physical contact to a serious kiss in front of some of the family was shocking. Then Florence squealed a little and everyone relaxed.

"Ugh, finally." Danni exclaimed with a chuckle as she handed Ryland a cup of coffee. Anya blushed a little at the way everyone was looking at them but even more so at the way Ryland was looking at her. Now that it wasn't a secret (or so they weren't trying to keep it a secret) he didn't hold back the lovely glimmer in his eyes as he smiled at her.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked after a minute. Both Anya and Ryland were glad no one was making a big deal of their relationship and were happy to move on from the subject. But Florence wasn't quite ready to move on so she scooted up a chair right beside Anya and started drilling her with questions.

"I feel like I got hit by a truck." Ryland replied to Steve.

"You did," Natasha told him as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "a fat-ass truck with a driver named Cuervo, Jose Cuervo." His only response was to pull a face suggesting he'd forgotten Jose was involved last night. Honestly no one would blame him for not remembering the names of all the liqueurs he partied with last night considering Tony started mixing drinks right away. There was definitely some whiskey and vodka, apparently some tequila and he had a vague remembrance of some rum. Whether or not those drinks went together or were separate, he couldn't remember though his pounding headache would suggest they were probably mixed at some point throughout the night.

"Drink a lot of water." Danni suggested, tossing him a water bottle from the fridge. "If you hadn't passed out right away last night I would've suggested you drink a few last night as well- that usually helps keep the hangover at bay."

"Damn," Ryland grumbled as he finished his coffee and cracked the seal on the water bottle. "someone really should've told me that last night cause this is hell."

"Welcome to adulthood!" Natasha exclaimed teasingly, cracking him on the back of the head and making him literally squeal in pain. He just downed the water in his hand, rubbing the back of his head as he fell into the chair beside Anya.

"You're lucky you don't have class today." Bruce commented as he went about fixing some eggs for Ryland. "My first hangover came the day of a serious final."

"The smarty-pants are always the idiots." Danni teased, smacking Bruce's butt as she passed behind him.

"I don't have any classes but I need to get better soon or else I'm dead to the world all day." Ryland replied, face down on the table. Anya ran her fingers through his hair, massage his scalp to help with his headache but he was almost positive the only fix for such a sore head would be to just chop it off. But after a minute he mustered up the ability to sit up and motion for Anya to follow him into the living room where they sat on the couch together.

"So I talked to Clint last night." Ryland started off as they sat side-by-side on the couch. Anya was about to tell him about the conversation she'd also had with Clint but Ryland spoke over her. "What he said doesn't matter other than the fact that he's okay with us being together..."

"He said that to me as well when he got home." Anya sneaked in before Ryland could finish his sentence. She turned towards him, cocking herself sideways on the couch and throwing one of her legs over his lap comfortably. Out of instinct, Ryland laid his hand on her thigh even though his mind was elsewhere.

"Good," he mumbled absentmindedly. "That's great but I have to say something. Can you just listen for a minute? Cause I'm really hungover and I'm only gonna be able to say this once." Anya had to withhold a chuckle but she reached over and grabbed his hand, twisting their fingers together and promising to listen carefully.

"I'm all ears." she swore as she traced nonsensical patterns on the back of his hand.

He smiled a little, resisting the urge to kiss her, then sucked in a deep breath and said, "I made some promises to your dad last night that I want to make to you as well. You deserve to know my intentions for the this relationship right here and now as things are just starting out." Those words sobered Anya immediately and she gave her attention to him completely. "I promise that I will always try my hardest to give you everything you need. If you need a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold or just someone to direct your anger at, I promise I will always be there for you. I promise I'll always try my hardest to be patient with you and treat you with every bit of respect that you deserve. And I promise, Anya Catarina Barton, that I will always love you no matter where life takes us, no matter the battles we face or the trouble that comes our way. I've loved you since I was four-years-old and I will love you until I die. But you'll have to be patient with me too. Because, as much as I will try, I'll also mess up. I'm still a man after all which means I will, at times, be insensitive or piggish or oblivious or even downright stupid. And when I am any of those things, I just hope you'll be beside me to knock me on the side of the head to snap me out of it- and most importantly love me through it."

Anya's fingers had long since stopped tracing patterns on his hands and her whole body had gone still except for the little tear that escaped from the corner of her right eye. It rolled down her cheek and caught in the raised corner of her lips, confusing Ryland because it was actually a tear but she was also smiling. So he just sat as still as possible as he waited for her to explain or respond or just do something other than smile and cry a little. It took a bit longer than he'd hoped but finally she moved to grab his face between both of her little hands. Leaning their foreheads together, she didn't say a word for another minute. Then she brushed her lips against his and whispered five words that made the past 17 years worthwhile.

"I'll always love you, Rye."

* * *

Author's Note: Another big thankies couldn't even do you justice, so I'll just point you to my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set titled Armani not Iron for a look at the guy's suits :)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!


	22. Epilogue

Author's Note: Once again the worlds biggest thank you goes straight to you. Yes, you! You right there. You, reading this on your lap top, iPod, cell phone or tablet. You, who read since chapter one and probably since Mini-Vengers. You, who spent so much time reading my stories and making me the happiest girl on earth. I'll never be able to say thanks enough. So instead of thanking you yet again, I'm instead gonna try my hardest to earn your love and produce the best stories I can. Thankies :)

* * *

_Next Fall..._

Congratulations to substitute English Lit professor Doctor Tam for making even Ryland's favorite class utterly lifeless and boring. The clock on the wall above the whiteboard was moving in slow motion the last hour despite every prayer the class sent up to god for time to speed up. There was something about Doctor Tam's monotone voice that made Ryland want to repeatedly bang his head against his desk until he just bled out and the class would end. But rather than hurting himself, Ryland stuck to doodling. He was in the middle of a full page sketch of Doctor Tam getting struck by one of Thor's lightning bolts when everyone in the room immediately stood up at once. The clock literally _just_ ticked into the next hour but everyone already had their things together and were headed for the door. Ryland was right behind them all, scurrying out of the classroom as fast as possible and dropping his doodle in the process.

Someone immediately picked it up for him and Ryland looked over to see one of the girls from his class. She chuckled at the drawing as she handed it back to him. "Nice sketch; I'm sure that would make class at least reasonably more tolerable."

Ryland honestly couldn't remember her name. It was something different like Tulip, Rose or Chrysanthemum. He knew it was a flower but he just couldn't remember exactly what it was so he just smiled and said, "Thanks, if I could just convince Thor to use his powers for the good of _me _rather than just the good of mankind."

She laughed at his joke- a little harder than necessary- and walked beside him on their way out of the building. Ryland didn't mind the company seeing as she was a nice girl and Anya had been away on a solo mission for the last two and a half weeks. Honestly he was feeling the sting of loneliness and that stupid pang of uselessness because he couldn't go on this mission with her. He wanted to be beside her- fighting with her- but a knee injury last month still had him limping a little.

"So was that your last class for the day?" Ryland asked conversationally as they made their way to the nearest exit. He still couldn't remember her name but he hoped the longer they talked the more likely he'd remember it. But then again he could just wind up making an ass of himself talking to her for twenty minutes and still not remembering her name.

"Yep," she replied. "I'm done for the weekend, actually. You?"

"I've got a make-up tomorrow but then I'm done. Thank god." Ryland replied just before a passing student who said hi. He couldn't remember her name either but he said hello back to her. "I'm ready for a weekend of R&R."

"I bet. How's your knee by the way?" she asked, looking down at the slight hobble in his walk. It was healing really well but it still slowed him down quite a bit. Of course he couldn't tell her that he'd taken a tourne knife to the knee cap on a bad mission last month considering his cover for that mission was a trip with the family. So Ryland gave her the run of the mill response he was used to dishing out to everyone who didn't have the appropriate security clearance.

"Skiing accident," he replied easily. "I was showing off like an idiot and went down hard. I'm doing a lot better now but my ego will take some more time to heal." He wasn't entirely lying considering his ego did need some healing. Especially considering Anya was the one to find him tied up with a knife in his leg. It was also Anya who took down their target, freed Ryland then practically carried him out of there. Suffice to say he owed her one and really just needed to do something heroic to feel right again.

"Showing off for a girlfriend?" she asked, clearly fishing but not so obviously that Rylnad was put off.

He chuckled saying, "More like showing off for my cousin. She's 11 and a thousand times better than I am."

"Well then perhaps you need a girlfriend to look after you." she added with a cheeky grin. Ryland didn't reply, just kept walking, hoping she'd let it go. He didn't want to mention Anya because that was a relationship he wanted to keep to himself- and because it was no ones business- but he smiled nonetheless.

And suddenly he remembered her name and said, "I'll take your word for it, Saffron." which made her smile as if she was surprised he'd remembered her. Of all the names Ryland heard on a daily basis it was sort of surprising he remembered. Better late than never.

As the two of them got closer to the exit a group of guys passed by talking loud enough for Ryland to hear almost the entire conversation. He naturally just listened in, hearing about some super hot chick outside by a sweet ride, before he tuned them out. There was only one super hot chick he cared about. Though it was quite funny hearing them claim such a beautiful girl only existed in movies.

"Guys can be such pigs sometimes." Saffron mumbled as they pushed through the double doors and stepped outside. "I'm sure those guys know nothing about that woman and yet they talk about her like she's just a body."

"Men tend to think with the wrong organ when a beautiful girl passes by." Ryland replied with a chuckle as he held the door for a passing girl who smiled wide and thanked him. "I mean, we all do it. I've done it. I'm sure you've done it too. But keeping those dirty thoughts to yourself is the key to coming across as respectable." Ryland teased, winking at her. She laughed pretty hard even though he was absolutely right.

After such a hot summer no one really expected fall to be so cold right off the bat but nevertheless the bipolar weather was cold enough for Saffron to button up her coat and tuck a scarf around her neck as the wind hit them. Unfortunately Ryland's Camaro was in the shop so he headed to the corner where he hoped to catch a cab or head down the street to the nearest subway stop. Saffron on the other hand had a car and was just about to offer him a ride when he stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't believe he just passed her.

"Hey, do you need a..." Saffron started to ask but stopped when she saw the look on his face- almost like he'd seen a ghost. Ryland turned slowly so Saffron did as well, her eyes searching for what he saw. Well now they knew who those boys were talking about.

"You're not even gonna say hello?" Anya teased from her spot a few feet away casually leaning against her car with her arms crossed over her chest. Saffron didn't know what the hell was happening- all she knew was suddenly Ryland looked like a kid at Dylan's Candy Bar. Suddenly he was practically vibrating with enthusiasm and wishing he'd spent more than 5 seconds getting dressed that morning because Anya was right in front of him for the first time in almost three weeks. And she looked amazing standing by her car in skinny jeans and boots with a gray v-neck and a light green quarter sleeve military jacket over top. Whereas Ryland looked a tad disheveled in jeans, a black v-neck and a leather hoodie jacket. He hadn't even ran his fingers through his hair. But then he remembered Anya liked him best when he was a mess so he just smiled and dropped his rucksack and the English Lit book to the ground and went right to Anya.

She had to withhold the little squeal she wanted to let out as he rushed to her, wrapping both arms around her waist and hugging her tight, picking her up as he kissed her hard on the lips. He could taste her smile as she tangled her hands in his messy hair and kissed him back with great passion. Never mind Saffron was standing not but a few feet away and they'd drawn the attention of almost everyone on the block; all that mattered was they were right there together again. Three weeks had never felt longer.

"You should've told me you were coming home!" Ryland chastised as they pulled back and he rested his forehead against hers. She was still dangling in his arms but he didn't want to put her down. He just needed to hold her a minute longer before he would be able to let her go.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." she replied with a giggle as she kissed him again. Then he finally set her feet back on the floor be kept his arms wound around her waist and she kept her hands on either side of his face. "Surprised?"

"Perfectly," he replied then took a step back. "Alright let me look at you. Turn...where are you hurt?" he asked, holding her hand and making her spin for him. She chuckled even as she felt a little stupid.

"Took a few hits but I'm okay." she told him seriously. It was incredibly rare for either of them to come home from a mission not at least a little tattered but she really wasn't that bad. She had a bruise the size of Alaska on her right hip and a cut on her leg that itched but other than that she was okay. The biggest pain was not having Ryland around for three weeks.

"You get your guy, Agent Barton?" he asked low and close to her face.

"You know I did." she retorted with a wink before pushing off the car and saying, "Let's get out of here, Rye, everyone's staring."

He chuckled even as he looked around and noticed all the eyes on them. Multiple women were standing around with half disgusted looks, no doubt wishing they were in Anya's shoes. There were also quite a number of men all wishing they were in Ryland's shoes. All in all they were making a spectacle of themselves which wasn't good so Ryland grabbed his bag and book off the sidewalk and hopped into the passenger side of Anya's SUV. Luckily no one on the street that had seen them hadn't thought to take any pictures so it wouldn't make too many tabloids. A few of the students would probably run to the nearest publisher that would hear them and rattle off what they'd seen but the number of people who would believe the 'anonymous eye-witness account' would be negligible.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." Anya said as she drove back to the tower holding Ryland's hand over the middle console of the car. "Which is truly ridiculous because we've video-chatted so many times and it's only been two and a half weeks..."

"Nineteen days to be exact." Ryland added, kissing her knuckles.

"I feel like a stupid teenager in love whenever we're apart- for just nineteen days- and I miss you. Is that crazy?" she wondered aloud as they stopped in midday Manhattan traffic which gave her the opportunity to look over at him without risking their lives.

"I don't think it's crazy at all!" Ryland replied seriously. "In fact, I think it's quite smart. Because if you think about it objectively...how lucky are we to have found someone we don't want to be apart from for more than a few days?"

Anya shrugged noncommittally as she turned away from a green light. "I guess love doesn't seem so rare when you live in a tower full of people disgustingly in love with each other." she joked with a chuckle. Growing up around so much love and warmth made her outlook a little rosier throughout life but it also made love seem so much more common than it actually was. Anya knew first had that Dahlia in particular was struggling with her own feelings about love- wanting the same romantic story everyone in the tower shared but unsure of how to find it. Anya counted herself very lucky to have found a romance for the ages right within her home. If she'd had to go out searching for it, honestly, she probably wouldn't have found anything but boredom.

"Does the family know you're back?" Ryland asked just as he received a text from Tony informing him of a family meeting within the hour.

"They know I'm home but I went straight from the airport to NYU so no one's seem me yet but you." Anya replied as she turned left onto the tower's street. She had to stop at the security gate in order to get around back but her car was on the list the guards were told to let through so she was only stopped two seconds before the chain link security gate opened to her and she was able to pull around to the garage and find a parking spot.

Ryland's voice echoed through the garage as he stepped out of the car, slamming his door before saying, "I know for a fact Clint's been missing you. He's been babying Irina 10x more than usual in your absence- which is probably why she doesn't mind you leaving so much anymore."

Anya chuckled, hitting the lock button on her key chain and waiting for the car to beep twice before replying. "Dad already said he's got a big bear hug for me when I get upstairs. I think he's starting to get used to me going on missions though cause we were able to video chat a few times without him getting all testy about my location and compromising myself. I do still get a ten minute lecture every day on the importance of self-preservation and how my own safety comes before the job."

"Try telling him the same thing when he was still an agent and he'd probably shoot you in the eye socket with an arrow." Ryland retorted as they climbed into the elevator and headed for the communal level where everyone was no doubt waiting for her return. She'd called Natasha from the airport to let her know she was headed to NYU first then coming home with Ryland. So when the elevator doors opened they immediately heard Natasha from the kitchen.

"Ohhhhh I heard the elevator! Anya?" she called as she rushed from the kitchen to the elevator doors. Her face immediately lit up when she got to see her little girl again and they embraced each other with chuckles. "Oh my baby went on her first solo mission. I'm so oddly proud and sad right now. How are you? Where are you hurt?"

Natasha knew the consequences of mission work so she expected Anya to come home bruised. Whether she liked it or not was fairly obvious but she never made too big of a fuss considering she knew exactly how to patch Anya up so she'd be good as new in no time. Usually Clint and Tasha were the first to see any bruises Anya came home with if just because they knew how to treat them without sending her to the hospital. The first time Anya lifted her shirt to show off her bruises Clint just walked out of the room and didn't come back for a half-hour but every time since then he's been okay. Natasha still got a little worked up but kept most of her fussing quite and worked to make the wounds better.

"I'm pretty good actually." Anya replied before pulling up the corner of her gray v-neck to show off the massive black-and-blue bruise on her right hip. "This and a cut on my leg are all I've got this time around." she said just as Ryland poked her bruise. He had a tendency to be kind of rough by accident so she winced but couldn't hold it against him- he was just a man and men don't know how to be as gentle as they should be.

"Oops," he mumbled sheepishly. "I swear to god I tried to be gentle."

"Rye," Anya said with a chuckle, touching his cheek. "Whatever you think gentle is...dial it down ten notches and _that's_ gentle." Then she slapped him playfully. Natasha was inspecting the bruise but had to chuckle at the two of them and how their relationship hadn't changed much at all since they'd started dating. They still got on each others nerves, still picked on each other and still hurt each other. The only difference was now they kissed away the bruises they caused each other.

"Ouch," Steve mused as he stepped to Anya, examining the bruise. "that's gonna be tender for a while."

"Can't run around the jungle without tripping over a vine or two." Danni added as she too stepped up to Anya. Natasha finally let go of Anya's shirt and stepped away so Danni could give Anya a hug, being careful not to bump her right hip. "Getting to show off your bruises is the best part of getting them though. Makes you feel like a bad-ass."

Anya chuckled but had to agree. Coming home with a baseball sized welt on her hip did make her feel a little cooler even if getting said bruise wasn't pleasant at all. "You would know," Anya replied in reference to the multiple scars Danni still had from her time in the military. The stories attached to each scar changed every time Danni told them which made everyone believe their real histories were a lot more brutal than she let on but Bruce knew the truth behind each and every scar and that's what counts.

"Little Bird?" Clint's voice called out but no one saw him. Anya looked around trying to find him but saw nothing but the family around her. So she squeezed by them and walked down the hallway to the library. The room had been many things over the years from a game room when everyone in the tower was still single, to a play room when the kids started coming rapid fire then to a study hall when school started. Over the last few years it slowly just turned into a library but when Anya walked in Clint was positioning a baby grand piano in the middle of the room.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Anya asked with a chuckle as he stopped trying to move the piano and pulled her into the bear hug he'd promised.

"Good to see you home safe and sound." he said as they hugged. Then when they pulled back he immediately went back to pushing the piano. "I'm trying to make this fit but it doesn't want to. Come help," he replied as he put all his upper body strength into pushing the piano that barely budged. Anya tossed her jacket aside and helped him push the piano but it only moved a matter of inches.

"Why is it in here? And where did it come from?" Anya asked as she leaned against it. Of course it was beautiful but who wanted to play the piano in a library?

"It was a donation and the reason it's here is cause there's nowhere else for it. I wanted it in the apartment but Nat said no cause bringing this in would mean she'd lose her breakfast nook."

"We've never even used that breakfast nook." Anya retorted as they tried moving the piano once again. Natasha loved that breakfast nook and lord knows she wasn't giving up something she loved. So Anya just helped her dad move the piano inch by inch until it was at least slightly out of the way. Then they gave up and let it sit.

"Good enough," Clint grumbled, moving the rest of the furniture in the room back where it was supposed to be. "Tony will probably move it in a few hours anyway. So tell me about your mission. You hurt?"

Anya took up a seat at the piano before saying, "The mission went according to plan and the only injury I've got is a nasty bruise on my hip and a cut on my leg- both of which will heal before your back when it realizes you just pushed a piano around all morning."

Clint went to say something sarcastic but stop short when he realized his back really did actually hurt. Instead of replying though he sat next to her at the piano and asked if she still remembered how to play. "I spent countless hours teaching you so you better remember." he teased as they readied the piano.

"I remember how to fake my way through a song." Anya replied as she let her fingers trace the keys. Clint was no concert pianist but he knew enough to get by and so that's what he taught Anya when she was old enough to be interested. She'd sit on his lap or on a pillow beside him mimicking every stroke of the keys he made, trying her hardest to sound just like him. She got real good at one point, even sounding better than Clint, but she didn't even know how to read sheet music. She knew how to make a song sound pretty though so she started hitting the keys and coming up with a melody that made no sense on paper but sounded just melodic enough to make up for it.

"Like riding a bike," Clint mused as he watched her play. Neither one had sat down to play in ages but it came back instantly, though Clint didn't bother joining in. As much as he wanted to, he let her go it alone- much like the last few months of her life. He'd learned the hard way how to let her go and live her own life. Little things like playing the piano he could let her do by herself; so long as she remembered the big things- the important things- she'd never go alone. Even if they weren't side-by-side she'd always have her Daddy to come home to.

"You should play more." Anya told him as she ended her makeshift song. He picked up right where she left off and added a few extra bars to the song, giving her a chance to watch him play like she used to when she was little. Nothing ever amazed Anya more than the stability of Clint's arms and the gentleness of his hands. He was always capable of hurting someone but tender enough to hold a little baby. Anya used to lay across Clint's chest tracing the pattern of veins on his arms when she was little, just amazed at how much strength and softness he simultaneously possessed.

As Clint was nearing the end of his song Ryland poked his head into the room saying, "Sorry to interrupt but my parents are home." then ducked back out as not to be a bother. Clint finished the song and Anya helped him cover the keys again so they could join everyone in the living room. Anya got a few more hugs from the people she hadn't seen yet including Bruce who just pulled her into his lap and wouldn't let her up.

"Alright guys," Tony said, standing and pulling up Pepper beside him. "we were going to do this at a better time but I'm not really sure when that would be- and things are moving pretty quickly right now."

"Over the summer," Pepper stepped in when Tony was finished. "we made a pretty big decision that will effect not just us but everyone in the tower. We were going to include you all in the process but decided it best to wait until it was real."

"And it's very real now." Tony commented under his breath. Pepper elbowed him in the ribs for his comment but just kept talking as if he hadn't said a thing.

"It is real," Pepper agreed. "because even last week it was only a possibility but we're going Wednesday to sign some papers and whatnot. So we wanted everyone to know that come next week they'll be another Stark living in the tower."

It took a minute for the news to register and settle but then everyone cheered at once and started asking questions and congratulating the newly expanding family. Tony and Pepper had told Ryland a few months ago so it didn't blindside him but other than him and Mickey, no one knew about the adoption. Ryland told Anya if just so he had someone to talk to about it but everyone else was shocked and excited.

"That was fast, right?" Danni wondered aloud from her spot next to Bruce on the couch. "I mean adoption usually takes a pretty long time, am I right?"

"It usually does," Mickey explained, going off her knowledge from working at Safe Anchorage Orphanage. "But given Tony and Pepper's ability to more than provide for a child, things went smoothly."

"It went quick cause their rich." Steve teased, earning a smack from Mickey.

"No that's not true at all!" she detested even if it was at least slightly true. "Everyone knows Tony and Pepper make amazing parents. Though I might have greased a few wheels for my friends."

"Mickey set it all up." Ryland explained, scooting over on the couch to wrap an arm around Mickey's shoulders. "Even when it was just an option Mom and Dad were just sort of looking into she was right there helping out. It's no surprise at all Safe Anchorage has the highest adoption rate in the city." Mickey blushed but thanked him quietly under her breath.

"So how are you taking the news, Rye?" Bruce asked, leaning around Anya as she still sat in his lap.

"It took some time to get used to the idea." Ryland replied, looking over at Anya from the corner of his eye. She'd witnessed the first few days where Ryland was sort of blank and unsure of how to respond. "But once I realized what a blessing it would be I started getting kind of excited. He's a cool little dude and he'll make a great little brother."

"_Oh it's a boy_!" Kellen cheered excitedly. Everyone chuckled at his level of enthusiasm but expected no less of him. Kellen always wanted another boy- especially one younger than him- in the tower. In fact when Kellen was little he used to beg and plead with Thor and Jane to have another baby and make it a boy. He was beyond reason, insisting there was some way to ensure it'd be a boy, but eventually got over it when he realized Jane just wasn't going to have any more kids. For a while he thought maybe Natasha would have another or Bruce and Danni would expand their little family, but Natasha made it clear she was done and Bruce and Danni didn't want kids. So he just came to terms with being the youngest boy forever.

"Yes, Robby is his name and he's almost six." Pepper replied sweetly, smiling as if every dream she'd ever had was coming true. "We're headed back to the orphanage Wednesday to sign the rest of the papers and pick him up."

"We'll be certain to make him more than welcomed, Aunt Pepper!" Charlotte promised as she stood up and gave Pepper a hug.

"Thanks, Car." Pepper said as she hugged her back. "We've got a lot of work left to do on our level to make room for him so we're gonna need your guys' help painting and gathering stuff for him. He's really big into cars right now so we're hoping to deck out his room in as many car-themed things as we can find."

"I was actually hoping you and I could build him a car bed." Tony said to Bruce, getting excited. "Like those plastic ones at the store but better. You up for it, Big Guy?"

"Absolutely, we can start on it tonight." Bruce agreed immediately. In his head, the wheels were already turning and coming up with cool ways to make the bed a thousand times better than the store bought ones. They could even make it a bunk bed and the headboard and top bunk made to look like a gas station with Robby's car bed parked underneath. They could even give it headlights and engine noises if they wanted.

"Well before you two start scheming," Pepper interjected, a hand on Tony's stomach as if to literally hold him back. It got his attention and his mind back on track but he mouthed to Bruce that they'd talk later. "We actually have one more surprise."

This time even Ryland didn't know what the surprise was so everyone sat up a little straighter in preparation. They knew it wasn't something bad because Pepper couldn't stop smiling like a little kid but after the bombshell Robby was, no one knew what to expect. Of course everyone knew Pepper and Tony wanted more kids but waiting until their first was twenty-one to peruse it was a little bit of a curve ball. Everyone was quite, waiting for either Pepper or Tony to continue on with their surprise and this time it was Tony to spill the beans.

"Well," he started off, his smile almost as wide as Pepper's- if that were at all possible. "on top of welcoming Robby into our family Wednesday we'd like you all to keep your hearts open just a few months longer because Robby isn't the only new Stark we're going to be welcoming home."

Then Tony looked to Pepper to finish the surprise with a giggle. "We're pregnant."

* * *

;)


	23. Sequel

Thanks for reading Linchpin! I've had an amazing time creating this story and I'm so humbled by your decision to read it!

From here you can read the fourth installment to the series,

**Happily Ever After**: _a series of one-shots set after Linchpin when everyone is grown up but still growing up_

I'm glad you read Linchpin and I hope you'll go on to read Happily Ever After as well! I will forever be grateful for every single one of you! Thank you!

~Samitballi


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